The Times thinks another three weeks of UK Lockdown are imminent.
Britain will remain in lockdown for another three weeks as the cabinet debates whether to encourage some people to return to work.
Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Boris Johnson, will announce on Thursday that the lockdown will stay in place until at least May 7.
He is expected to ask Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, and the other leaders of the devolved administrations to attend a Cobra meeting to ensure a UK-wide approach in setting the deadline, the maximum allowed under emergency legislation that mandates reviews every three weeks.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dominic-raab-to-announce-lockdown-for-3-more-weeks-j335kmbv0
Well that fucking sucks.
Coronavirus can survive long exposure to high temperature, a threat to lab staff around world: paper | South China Morning PostThe coronavirus can survive long exposure to high temperatures, according to an experiment by a team of French scientists.
Professor Remi Charrel and colleagues at the Aix-Marseille University in southern France heated the virus that causes Covid-19 to 60 degrees Celsius for an hour and found some strains were still able to replicate.
To put that into perspective, the highest naturally-occurring temperature on Earth is 56.7 degrees Celsius recorded in California’s Death Valley on July 10, 1913.
The scientists had to bring the temperature to almost boiling point to kill the virus completely, according to their non-peer-reviewed paper released from biorxiv.org on Saturday. The results have implications for the safety of lab technicians working with the virus.
April 14
Russia confirmed 2,774 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 21,102 and marking the latest one-day record in new cases.
Moscow could face a shortage of hospital beds for coronavirus patients in the next two to three weeks, the Russian capital's health department has warned. It added that an additional 24 hospitals will be converted to accommodate coronavirus patients, bringing the total number of beds to 21,000. Moscow has 13,002 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday.
A group of liberal Russian economists have called on the government to send cash payments to the public in order to avoid an economic crisis caused by the coronavirus, the RBC news website reported.
Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News - The Moscow Times
Moscow closes its first clinic due to an outbreak of COVID-19 The chief physician is on a ventilator, and many locals think she’s to blame for spreading coronavirus
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2020/04...ak-of-covid-19
Last edited by misskit; 14-04-2020 at 05:02 PM.
India extends world's largest lockdown to May 3
India extends world'''s largest lockdown to May 3
Korea down to 21st in the league table, so there's hope things get better within a couple of months...
Regarding the markets:
^The 1% got their handouts so it's good to go again...
7 crew members on hospital ship USNS Mercy test positive for COVID-19
SAN PEDRO, Calif. (KABC) -- Seven crew members aboard the naval hospital ship USNS Mercy have tested positive for COVID-19, officials confirmed Monday.
The Mercy docked at the Port of Los Angeles in late March to serve as a hospital for non-coronavirus patients.
The facility was designed to remain a strict non-COVID-19 zone with protocols for testing patients and staffers. It was brought in to help ease the burden from Los Angeles-area hospitals dealing with the surge in coronavirus patients.
MORE Coronavirus: 7 crew members on hospital ship USNS Mercy test positive for COVID-19 - ABC7 Los Angeles
So the Florida Surgeon General told a presser that some form of social distancing will need to be in place until there's a vaccine.... and the Governor's staff (not so) discreetly dragged him out of the room.
GOP twats again.
Florida Surgeon General Removed from Governor DeSantis' Coronavirus Briefing After Saying Social Distancing Necessary Until There's A Vaccine
Fat chance the chinkies would ever admit it. They're probably destroyed all the evidence. It would of course explain why they were so desperate to cover it up in the early stages.STATE DEPARTMENT CABLES WARNED OF SAFETY ISSUES AT WUHAN LAB STUDYING BAT CORONAVIRUSES
BY THE WASHINGTON POST | APRIL 14, 2020
Two years before the novel coronavirus pandemic upended the world, U.S. Embassy officials visited a Chinese research facility in the city of Wuhan several times and sent two official warnings back to Washington about inadequate safety at the lab, which was conducting risky studies on coronaviruses from bats. The cables have fueled discussions inside the U.S. government about whether this or another Wuhan lab was the source of the virus — even though conclusive proof has yet to emerge.
State Department cables warned of safety issues at Wuhan lab studying bat coronaviruses | HealthLeaders Media
I think once it became clear that the cv was over the pond and starting to be taken seriously, most experts expected an immediate negative reaction. While we don't know what was going on in the background, I'm surprised the US did not move to defcon 3 far sooner than they did, having had the benefit of watching the consequences of a complacent and unprepared Europe.
No more Yank money to prop up the WHO. About bloody time.
Let the Chinese step up to the plate and start covering more expenses. About bloody time too.
Whether accidental or deliberate, and as a terminal cynic I wouldn't remove that from the equation, this is going to leave much of the world economy crippled, and with China only slightly injured but the overall beneficiary.
Hope to be wrong but the record shows that the west really is not up to it, as it's easier to talk than to deal effectively with a monster rogue entity like the CPC. But maybe this is a big enough hit to become a genuine wake up call, in which case never mind sensibilities if anyone takes the offensive it'll be Trump not Biden.
Trump says he is halting funding for the World Health Organization
President Donald Trump accused the WHO of "severely mismanaging and covering up" the coronavirus crisis, specifically the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China.
Trump: WHO put 'political correctness above lifesaving measures'
April 14, 2020, 11:38 PM BST / Updated April 15, 2020, 12:39 AM BST
By Dartunorro Clark
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he is halting funding for the World Health Organization pending a review of its response to the initial coronavirus outbreak after the organization criticized his restrictions on travel from China.
Trump accused the WHO of "severely mismanaging and covering up" the coronavirus crisis, specifically the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China. He took particular issue with the agency's criticism of his order to temporarily deny entry to the U.S. by most foreign nationals who had recently been in China. The order was issued Jan. 31, when China was the center of the pandemic.
Peanuts; it's not about the money, China would happily make up the shortfall to continue business as usual. The US is admitting it was outmanoeuvred by the CPC knobbling the WHO, and won't be paying to maintain that status quo. Potential downside, from a cynic, is that the 'deal' has WHO sacrifice a face or two to 'restore confidence' and then continue much as before being more careful to not make it so obvious that it's still compromised.
Another won't, though the US might do well to examine key individuals at the hundreds of other local, national and global organisations which the CPC no doubt has purchased.
Trump Announces Order to Halt WHO Funding Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Trump Announces Order to Halt WHO Funding Amid COVID-19 Pandemic - Sputnik International
Huge spike in deaths in England & Wales as Covid-19 linked to 1 in every 5 fatalities, suggesting UK is UNDERREPORTING
Huge spike in deaths in England & Wales as Covid-19 linked to 1 in every 5 fatalities, suggesting UK is UNDERREPORTING — RT UK News
‘Presumed Covid-19’: NYC corona-deaths suddenly soar past 10,000 after over 3,700 victims added to list on PROBABLE grounds
‘Presumed Covid-19’: NYC corona-deaths suddenly soar past 10,000 after over 3,700 victims added to list on PROBABLE grounds — RT USA News
Test for me but not for thee: UK’s Gove under fire as daughter skips virus-test queue
https://www.rt.com/uk/485788-gove-criticised-coronavirus-test/
Joint Statement of the Special ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202004/15/WS5e95eee9a3105d50a3d16317.html
Li calls for enhanced regional integration
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202004/15/WS5e964506a3105d50a3d16349.html
A cold shoulder or a hearty welcome to the forum?
A tray full of GOLD is not worth a moment in time.
A forecast by the UK's tax and spending watchdog suggests the coronavirus crisis will have "serious implications" for the UK economy, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned the pandemic could see the economy shrink by a record 35% by June.
Mr Sunak stressed that the forecast was only one possible scenario.
But he said it was important that the government was "honest with people about what may be happening".
He said the OBR figures suggest that the scale of what the UK is facing "will have serious implications for our economy", in common with other countries.
"These are tough times, and there will be more to come," Mr Sunak said.
However, he said that while the government could not protect every business and household, "we came into this crisis with a fundamentally sound economy, powered by the hard work and ingenuity of the British people and British businesses."
The OBR also expects the economic impact of the crisis to be temporary, he said.
He added that the government is "not just going to stand by" and not act to support the economy.
"Our planned economic response is protecting millions of jobs, businesses, self-employed people, charities, and households," he said.
"Our plan is the right plan."
Mr Sunak added that at the moment "the single most important thing we can do to protect the economy is to protect the health of our people."
The OBR said a three-month lockdown followed by three months of partial restrictions would trigger an economic decline of 35.1% in the quarter to June alone, following growth of 0.2% in the first three months of this year.
Robert Chote, the chairman of the OBR, said a drop of this magnitude would be the largest "in living memory".
While the UK economy would contract by 12.8% this year under this scenario, it is expected to get back to its pre-crisis growth trend by the end of 2020.
The OBR stressed the actual amount of growth would depend on how long the lockdown lasted, as well as how quickly activity bounced back once restrictions were relaxed.
In any case, it expects half of any sharp drop in growth in the second quarter to be reversed in the three months to September as the economy starts to recover.
Separately, the International Monetary Fund warned the virus would push the UK into its deepest slump for a century.
In its report, the IMF said it expects the UK economy to shrink by 6.5% in 2020, while the global economy will contract by 3%.
Sturgeon concerned over England PPE priority claim
One in five deaths now linked to coronavirus
UK firms at risk of making 'permanent' job cuts
Coronavirus-related deaths in UK hospitals have risen to 12,107, an increase of 778 on Monday's total.
And more than one in five deaths in England and Wales is linked to coronavirus, figures show.
The Office for National Statistics data showed the virus was mentioned on 3,475 death certificates in the week ending 3 April.
It helped push the total number of deaths in that week to more than 16,000 - a record high and 6,000 more than expected at this time of year.
'Unprecedented financial help'
The OBR's estimates said a three month lockdown would push up the UK's borrowing bill to an estimated £273bn this financial year, or 14% of gross domestic product (GDP).
This would represent the largest deficit as a share of GDP since World War Two.
While borrowing is expected to jump, the OBR said the government's unprecedented financial help for workers and businesses would help to limit any long-term damage.
The OBR expects a more lasting impact on unemployment, which is estimated to rise by 2.1 million to 3.4 million by the end of June.
Under this scenario, unemployment would hit 10%, from its current 3.9% rate, before easing to around 7.3% at the end of the year.
The jobless rate is expected to remain elevated until 2023, when it is expected to drop back to 4%, in line with the OBR's March forecast.
These are incredible numbers indicated by the government's official, though independent, forecasters at the OBR.
They illustrate what is at stake, and why the government has to get its economic rescue plans spot on. They will feature at the COBR discussions. Indeed some senior public health experts believe that the government needs an economic counterpart to the influential SAGE committee of scientists.
But this isn't quite about a direct trade off. That existed clearly on the way in - the economy was shut down to protect public health. On the way out of these measures, the balance is not straightforward.
If the lockdown is lifted prematurely, the health system could fall over, workers might just refuse to go to work anyway, and none of that would be positive for the economy.
Indeed when it is lifted, the absence of a vaccine means that these trade offs are likely to be considered week by week and sector by sector, for months to come.
Hit to public finances
The OBR expects UK debt to be higher for years to come, with extra borrowing expected to push Britain's debt share to above 100% of GDP this financial year if the lockdown lasts for three months.
While this will drop sharply as the UK economy recovers, public debt is expected to remain at 84.9% of GDP in four years time, much higher than the 75.3% forecast in the March Budget.
Mr Chote said a longer lockdown could have more serious consequences for the economy.
He said: "The longer the lockdown goes on, the more likely it is that the future potential of the economy is scarred by business failures, by less business investment and by the unemployed finding it harder to get back into the labour market."
However, the OBR stressed that the restrictions were necessary to protect the economy from a more prolonged slowdown.
It said extra spending by the Treasury to support the economy would also limit the economic damage.
"The government's policy response will have substantial direct budgetary costs, but the measures should help limit the long-term damage to the economy and public finances - the costs of inaction would certainly have been higher," the OBR said.
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