Tag Archives: Lockdown

This morning.

The youngest children have been most affected by lockdowns and closures during the Covid pandemic, new UK research finds.

Via The Guardian:

The research – published by the Education Endowment Foundation – found parents and teachers concerned that children in England were struggling with their emotional wellbeing as well as their ability to learn language and numeracy skills, after starting in reception classes after the earlier spring lockdown.

Teachers who spoke to the researchers said the disruption had left some infants with “low self-esteem and confidence”, and that more children than previously “feel overwhelmed” by learning.

Others highlighted increased behaviour problems seen when children returned to school, with some “biting, hitting, unable to share”, leading to teachers having to focus more on helping children settle back into school.

Ruth Coleman, headteacher at Highfield school in Ipswich, said: “When children returned to our nursery after the pandemic, many struggled with vital aspects of early years development, such as personal touch, or coping in bigger groups of children.

Younger children most affected by Covid lockdowns, new research finds (The Guardian)

Meanwhile…

RollingNews

This afternoon.

Shanghai, China.

Shanghai officials will over the next few days further restrict access to food and hospitals in some parts of the city, the most severe phase of its extended lockdown yet.

Via BBC:

Commercial food deliveries are not allowed and access to hospitals for all but emergencies must first be approved.

Neighbours of Covid-19 cases and others living close by are also being forced into government quarantine facilities.

Shanghai is now in its seventh week of city-wide restrictions.

Despite the tougher measures, Shanghai officials insist that people living in half the city’s districts are now free to leave their homes and walk around.

State media has shown propaganda videos of departing medical workers visiting city landmarks together and taking photographs.

Shanghai moves to impose tightest restrictions yet (BBC)

Meanwhile…

The head of the World Health Organization has said China’s zero-tolerance Covid-19 policy is not sustainable given what is known of the disease, in rare public comments by the UN agency on a government’s handling of the virus.

“We don’t think that it is sustainable considering the behaviour of the virus,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing.

WHO chief says China’s zero-Covid policy not ‘sustainable’ (RTE)

Um.

Getty

Meanwhile…

Snap.

It’s cool.

These things happen.

Via MailOnline:

…The stark modelling is understood to have single-handedly led to the decision to move away from herd immunity to a national lockdown on March 23.

But minutes from a SPI-M (Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling) meeting  have shown that, a week earlier, the modellers remained ‘uncertain‘ of case numbers ‘due to data limitations’.

The team is also understood to have believed that the modelling only showed ‘proof of concept‘ that lockdowns could help deal with Covid, before warning that ‘further work would be required‘.

Following the release of its model, Imperial College held a press conference, followed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordering the public to avoid pubs, restaurants and non-essential social gatherings later the same day.

Doomsday prediction was based on ‘uncertain’ data (Mail Online)

Last night.

Via Telegraph Women:

A 2021 YouGov poll found that a third of us jettisoned our bras during those long months of lockdown.

Meanwhile, researchers in breast health at the University of Portsmouth and St Mary’s University, have reported a 70 per cent slump in bra wearing, with 25 per cent of women saying they have no intention of going back.

*jiggle*

Illustration via @telegraphwomen

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on his birthday in Downing Street on June 19, 2020; the late BBC Radio presenter Lisa Shaw

This morning/afternoon.

Boris Johnson had birthday bash during lockdown, ITV News understands (ITV)

Previously: Lisa Shaw: Presenter’s death due to complications of Covid vaccine

Getty/BBC

This evening.

Austria had hoped to become the first country in Europe to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory by law on February 1.

That’ll learn him.

Meanwhile…

Austria’s former chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced on Thursday he is retiring from politics. Kurz told reporters in Vienna that the recent birth of his first child had motivated him to take the step. The 35-year-old stepped down as Austria’s leader two months ago amid ongoing corruption allegations.

And him.

Austria’s ex-chancellor Sebastian Kurz retires from politics (EuroNews)

Earlier: Are You Volk Yet?

Previously: Austrian Resistance

Getty

Yesterday.

Vienna, Austria.

Italian state telly visits a makeshift encampment in the centre of Vienna housed by citizens who are anti-vaccine.

Austria declared a full national lockdown on Monday and hopes to become the first country in Europe to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory by law on February 1.

Previously: No, Vienna

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Really?

Meanwhile…

As it stands, we have been informed that the date that would see pubs, nightclubs and restaurants being closed is December 13th.

It’s understood that the economy will be allowed continue for another week with a full lockdown being discussed for December 20th.

It must be stated that dates cannot be taken as fact but we have been reliably informed by two separate sources from within Leinster House that they are being actively discussed.

REVEALED: Dates we understand that are being discussed to fully close pubs and a full lockdown again (The Liberal)

Anyone?

RollingNews

This morning.

A compilation of protests across the world over the weekend against covid response measures .

Meanwhile..

…via The Irish Times:

Crucial to understanding the political alienation manifest in the riots is that close correlation between declining trust, or persisting mistrust, in government and institutions and low vaccination rates. Mainstream parties throughout Europe have yet to understand how to tackle that.

The undermining of trust is also an important function of the reliance on social media, with 72 per cent of Americans and 83 per cent of Europeans using the internet as a source for health information.

Users fall prey to an echo chamber effect where tailored recommendations based on their personal “watch history” feed individuals’ concerns and rarely provide alternative or expert views. One of the challenges of the age is how to provide compelling online narratives to cut through the forest of quack medicine.

Um.

The Irish Times view on Europe’s Covid-19 protests (Irish Times)

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Saturday.

City Hall, Belfast.

Meanwhile…

In fairness.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Dublin Castle this morning

This morning.

Via RTÊ News:

The Cabinet will today consider a proposal that would strongly advise people to work from home.

The move is being described as far-reaching and people will be advised to attend a workplace only when it is necessary.

A recommendation that Digital Covid Certificates would soon be required in gyms, hairdressers and barbers will also be considered.

The revised modelling says there is the potential for a large wave of infection, still peaking in late November, or early December, but higher than previous models due to waning immunity from vaccination.

While the peak could be at the end of December, large case numbers would last well into February.

Cabinet to consider work from home proposal (RTÉ)

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Anyone?

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