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Here are five things to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday night. We will have another update on Thursday morning.
1. PM: The second blockade would be ‘disastrous’ for the economy
After a day defending the embattled evidence system in the House of Commons, Boris Johnson faced more questions from a committee of MPs tonight about the possible impact of a second national lockdown. He told them that it would likely have “disastrous” financial consequences for the UK and insisted the government was doing “everything in our power” to prevent another. The prime minister also admitted that there was insufficient testing capacity. Previously, he blamed a “colossal spike” in demand for ongoing problems with access to tests and delayed results. Labor, meanwhile, continues to accuse the prime minister of “incompetence” in his handling of the outbreak.
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2. ‘Don’t go to the ER for a test’
In Bolton, more than 100 people showed up at an A&E asking for tests for Covid-19, prompting the hospital’s trust to urge people who are not seriously ill to stay away. Bolton has the highest infection rate in England with 196 cases per 100,000 people recorded on Saturday. But people say they can’t get into the testing centers. Here’s how to get tested.
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Reuters
3. ‘Booking a test is like getting Harry Potter tickets’
Since many staff members and students cannot tell a winter bug from the virus, a major factor in increasing demand has been the reopening of schools. One teacher told us that he spent 11 hours trying to book a test for his young son. “It’s like booking tickets to Harry Potter,” he said. School leaders estimate that around 740 schools in England have sent home some pupils, be it a bubble, a one-year group, or multi-year groups, said Steve Chalke, founder of the Oasis Trust. He said one of the parents called him “crying” after spending days trying to book an exam for her son with special needs, only to be offered one that she couldn’t get without a car.
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Reuters
4. Another county in Wales is closed
A second county in Wales will face more restrictions in daily life after cases surpassed 82 per 100,000 residents in the past seven days. First came Caerphilly. Now, as of Thursday night, the people of Rhondda Cynon Taff in South Wales must not leave the area without a reasonable excuse and pubs and restaurants cannot open later than 11pm. Do you live in the area? These are the new rules.
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fake images
5. An especially slippery mask
In what could well be a world first, a man has been seen using a snake to cover his face. A fellow traveler on the Swinton to Manchester bus said she initially thought the man was wearing a “flamboyant mask” until she saw the snake slide down a handrail. Transportation officials later confirmed that live snakes are not acceptable face coverings, so here’s how to make a more suitable one.
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PA media
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