Tag Archives: UK

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan

This morning.

Good times.

New advice for British arrivals since 8 December (RTÉ)

RollingNews

UK’s Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock

This afternoon.

The House of Commons, London, UK.

Britain’s Health minister Matt Hancock confirmed that the UK is experiencing a “new variant” of the coronavirus .

He said:

“Over the last few days, thanks to our world-class genomic capability in the UK, we have identified a new variant of coronavirus which may be associated with the faster spread in the South of England.

“Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variants.

“We’ve currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant predominantly in the South of England although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas.”

UK detects new virus strain as London to move to Tier 3 (RTÉ)

AP

This morning.

UK’s Talk Radio.

“One of the biggest travesties of Covid, not just the sad deaths, has been the use of data…we’ve had made many mistakes.”

Former head of health analysis at the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) Jamie Jenkins speaking to Mike Graham after the  British government was forced to reissue key charts used to justify a second lockdown after admitting projected fatalities were overstated.

Last week, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) statistician John Flanagan calculated that 900 and 1,200 people ‘who would otherwise have been alive’ if Covid hadn’t struck died in Ireland up to the beginning of October.

The Department of Health’s number for the same period is in excess of 1,900 deaths.

Covid Graphs Wrong: Death Toll Will Not Surpass First Wave (telegraph)

Previously: Morbid Curiosity

 

Last night.

Central London, England.

More than 100 anti-lockdown protesters were arrested on the first night of England’s second coronavirus shutdown.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement that the majority of the 104 arrests were for breaches of the new coronavirus regulations.

Protestors had converged on Trafalgar Square for the annual Million Mask March, an anti-government protest associated with the hacker group Anonymous, which falls on the anniversary of Guy Fawkes’s attempt to blow up parliament and inspired by  the graphic novel V for Vendetta.

Million Mask March: More than 100 anti-lockdown protesters arrested in London on first night of shutdown (Independent.co.uk)

This morning.

UK cabinet minister Michael Gove corrects an error while outlining new severe Lockdown rules where people will be told to stay at home except for specific reasons.

Covid-19: English lockdown may last beyond 2 Dec, says Gove (BBC)

Meanwhile…

Alternatively…

Oh.

From today.

It will be a punishable offence in the United Kingdom not to comply with an official instruction to self-isolate, with fines starting at £1,000 and rising to £10,000 for ‘repeat offenders or serious breaches’.

Via BBC:

Police officers can check that people are complying with the rules in virus hotspots and among high-risk groups based on “local intelligence“, the government said.

The law applies to people who have tested positive for coronavirus, or who have been told by NHS Test and Trace to self-isolate because they have been in close contact with someone with the virus.

And if someone tests positive, it is illegal to knowingly give false information about their close contacts to NHS Test and Trace….

Good times.

Covid-19: Up to £10,000 fine for failure to self-isolate in England (BBC)

Getty

This evening

The Royal Berkshire NHS Trust has released the above statement saying an older patients with underlying health conditions who tested positive for coronavirus has died.

Coronavirus: health authorities confirm first UK death – latest updates (The Guardian)

Via Beth Rigby

 

Meanwhile…

Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health Dr Tony Holohan

Seven new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Ireland, including one patient who had not travelled to an infected area.

The total number of cases across the country now stands at 13.

Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health Dr Tony Holohan said the country remains in the containment phase, but warned it was a “rapidly evolving situation”.

Seven new coronavirus cases confirmed in Republic of Ireland (RTÉ)

Rollingnews

London Underground station Clapham Junction this evening

Or something more sinister?

We may never know.

Large parts of the country were without electricity following the power cut, UK Power Networks said, with outages reported in the North West, South West, the Midlands and Wales.

The UK Power Networks tweeted on Friday evening: “We’re aware of a power cut affecting large parts of London and South East.

“We believe this is due to a failure on National Grid’s network, which is affecting our customers.”

UK power cuts – live updates: Nearly one million people affected by major outages across country with trains, airports and traffic lights impacted (Independent.co.uk)

Thanks Martco

Pic: AP

Meanwhile….

Prince Andrew named in unsealed Epstein documents (Mailonline)