MoHAP announced 2 deaths due to COVID-19 complications, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 450…..Reports Asian Lite News
The Ministry of Health and Prevention, MoHAP, announced 1,431 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the UAE to 110,039.
In a statement, the Ministry stressed its aim to continue expanding the scope of testing nationwide to facilitate the early detection of coronavirus cases and carry out the necessary treatment.
As part of its intensified testing campaign, MoHAP announced that it conducted 103,132 additional COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment.
According to the Ministry, the infected individuals are from various nationalities, are in a stable condition, and are receiving the necessary care.
MoHAP also announced 2 deaths due to COVID-19 complications, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 450.
MoHAP also noted an additional 1,652 individuals had fully recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 101,659
The new system sees every area of England classed as being on medium, high or very high alert…Reports Asian Lite News
England has enforced new three-tier system of Covid-19 restrictions.
Most of the country is in the lowest tier – medium – but millions of people in the North and the Midlands face extra curbs on households mixing, the BBC reported.
The Liverpool region is the only area to be under the toughest rules, with pubs and bars not serving meals closed.
Government health officials are due to meet later to discuss the possibility of Greater Manchester, Lancashire and some other areas joining the top tier.
The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said it was “disappointing” the government was “piling the pressure” on the region “without negotiating”.
Disappointing that the Government is piling the pressure on GM in this way without negotiating.
It risks confusing people coming so soon after the Tier 2 announcement.
Our view is unchanged: unfunded restrictions are unfair & will cause real damage to lives, jobs & businesses. https://t.co/g4ahFZArul
“It risks confusing people coming so soon after the tier two announcement,” he said, adding that “unfunded restrictions are unfair and will cause real damage to lives, jobs and businesses”.
It comes after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for a two to three week “circuit-breaker” lockdown in England to bring the rising infection rate under control.
The new system sees every area of England classed as being on medium, high or very high alert.
Areas on medium alert are subject to the national restrictions currently in force, including the rule of six on indoor and outdoor gatherings and the 22:00 closing time for pubs, bars and restaurants.
In addition to these restrictions, in areas on high alert – including north-east England, much of the North West and parts of the Midlands, along with West and South Yorkshire – different households are not allowed to mix indoors.
Areas on very high alert face extra curbs, with different households banned from mixing indoors or outdoors in hospitality venues or private gardens.
Pubs and bars will be closed unless they are serving substantial meals and there is also guidance against travelling in and out of the area.
Further restrictions may be agreed for particular regions in the top tier and in the Liverpool City Region gyms, leisure centres, betting shops and casinos will also close.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the system was a “moderate” and “balanced” approach to saving lives while trying to protect the economy.
To date, the UAE has responded to the COVID-19 crisis by providing over 1510 metric tonnes of aid to 118 countries, supporting more than 1.5 million medical professionals…Reports Asian Lite News
The UAE on Wednesday sent a second aid plane carrying 12 metric tonnes of medical supplies and testing kits to Costa Rica. This aid will assist approximately 12,000 medical professionals as they work to contain the COVID-19 virus.
Commenting on the aid delivery, Juma Al Rumaithi, UAE Ambassador to Costa Rica, said, “The dispatch of a medical aid plane to Costa Rica today is part of supporting the outstanding bilateral relations between the two countries and boosting Costa Rican efforts in the fight against the virus.”
“This is the second aid plane sent by the UAE to Costa Rica. The first, carrying 8.5 metric tonnes of medical supplies, was sent last June as part of efforts to help healthcare workers in Costa Rica and provide them with additional protection in containing the pandemic,” he added.
To date, the UAE has responded to the COVID-19 crisis by providing over 1510 metric tonnes of aid to 118 countries, supporting more than 1.5 million medical professionals.
In its latest update, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that an estimated 1.5 million people were unemployed between June and August, while redundancies stood at 227,000…reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
The UK’s unemployment rate has hit the highest level in three years in the wake of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Tuesday.
The unemployment rate grew to 4.5% in the three months to August, compared with 4.1% in the previous quarter.
In its latest update, the ONS said that an estimated 1.5 million people were unemployed between June and August, while redundancies stood at 227,000.
Jonathan Athow, the ONS’s deputy national statistician for economic statistics, told the BBC there had been a “sharp increase” in those out of work and job hunting since March.
“Overall employment is down about half a million since the pandemic began and there are particular groups who seem to be most affected, young people in particular.
“(Of those out of work) about 300,000 are aged 16-24, so about 60 per cent of the fall in employment… that’s really disproportionate,” he added.
Meanwhile, the number claiming work related benefits hit 2.7 million in September, an increase of 1.5 million since the beginning of the pandemic in March.
Also, a Citibank analysis has suggested that the unemployment rate could hit 8.5 per cent in the first half of 2021, a level not seen since the early 1990s.
Government slammed
Meanwhile, Responding to the statistics released showing that unemployment has reached 4.5%, the highest level in over three years, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine said:
“Today’s figures throw into stark and depressing relief the scale of the issues facing families and businesses and act as a reminder that the Chancellor must extend more help.
“Liberal Democrats have warned that by prematurely ending the Furlough scheme, this Government is potentially leaving thousands to face ruin.
“Responsibility sits squarely on the Chancellor’s shoulders. Instead of dismissing lost jobs as not viable, he should be working day and night to protect people’s livelihoods.
“Generations will judge whether this Government has taken every conceivable step to protect people’s’ livelihoods and futures, or tossed them on the unemployment pile marked non-viable.”
Earlier, The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has reiterated the urgent need for further employment support, as new analysis from the GLA shows that London’s economy may take more than three years to recover from the pandemic.
The Mayor has warned of a ‘looming unemployment crisis’ when the Government’s furlough scheme ends at the end of October. The latest GLA macroeconomic analysis shows that employment levels in London may not recover to pre-crisis levels until as late as 2023, with employment levels in London contracting by 5.5% next year.
Meanwhile according to an extended job support plan announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the UK government will pay two thirds of salaries for employees who worked for firms that were forced to close due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Under the scheme, businesses across the UK whose premises are legally required to shut for some period over winter as part of local or national restrictions will receive grants to pay the wages of staff who cannot work, reports Xinhua news agency.
The government will support eligible businesses by paying two thirds of each employee’s salary, up to a maximum of 2,100 pounds a month, from November 1 and it will be available for six months.
“Throughout the crisis the driving force of our economic policy has not changed,” Sunak said, adding: “I have always said that we will do whatever is necessary to protect jobs and livelihoods as the situation evolves.”
In addition, the UK government is increasing the cash grants to businesses in England shut in local lockdowns to support with fixed costs.
People wearing masks walk on the Trocadero Place near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France (Xinhua/Gao Jing/IANS)
According to the authorities, the number of news cases are usually lower on Mondays because tests are fewer or data is not fully collected the previous day…Reports Asian Lite News
French health authorities have reported 8,505 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, a sharp fall from the 16,101 fresh infections registered two days ago.
According to the authorities, the number of news cases are usually lower on Mondays because tests are fewer or data is not fully collected the previous day, reports Xinhua news agency.
On October 10, France recorded 26,896 new cases, setting a new all-time high.
Currently, the country’s caseload stands at 743,479, with a total of 32,825 fatalities.
The number of patients who are receiving treatment in hospital surged to 8,671, up from 8,252 on Sunday.
Early Monday, two more cities in southern France, Toulouse and Montpellier, joined the list of maximum alert zones, which includes capital Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Grenoble, Saint-Etienne and Guadeloupe, an overseas region.
In those zones, where the incidence rate exceeds 250 people per 100,000 inhabitants and over 30 per cent of beds in intensive care units are occupied with Covid-19 patients, the authorities have already announced additional restrictive rules.
That includes closure of bars, pools and gyms, tougher health protocol in restaurants, cinemas and theatres.
Attendance to public events is cut from 5,000 to 1,000 and gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited in public spaces such as beaches and parks.
Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Jean Castex warned that the country was witnessing “a strong second wave”, saying that “there can no longer be any relaxation” to contain the pandemic.
“Nothing is excluded,” he said, adding further restrictions may be decided next two weeks “if health indicators deteriorate a lot and resuscitation beds are occupied even more than expected”.
President Emmanuel Macron is set to address the nation on the Covid-19 situation on Wednesday evening.
The Minister said the new rules would include limits or a full ban on parties at home, as well as a prohibition for people to linger outside bars, clubs, and stores in order to avoid gatherings…Asian Lite News
Italy is set to impose new social restrictions in an effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, after registering some of the highest increases in the number of single-day cases, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said.
In a statement on Monday, the Minister said the new rules would include limits or a full ban on parties at home, as well as a prohibition for people to linger outside bars, clubs, and stores in order to avoid gatherings, reports Xinhua news agency.
Speranza said that the measure on private parties were aimed at stemming the virus from spreading within family circles.
According to the latest monitoring report by Italy’s National Health Institute (ISS), 77.6 per cent of the hotspots across the country “keep occurring in the domestic circle”.
A new cabinet decree containing the new rules has to be passed by October 15 at the latest, but might be delivered sooner before the deadline, according to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
Rome, Aug. 18, 2020 (Xinhua) — Restaurant staff wait for customers in Rome, Italy, Aug. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting/IANS)
“I have good reasons to rule out a national lockdown, but such provision at the local level might be needed if the (pandemic) curve keeps rising,” the state-run Ansa news agency quoted Conte as saying on Monday.
“We will try to approve the new decree tonight,” he added.
Other expected rules include a reduction from 14 days to 10 days in the period of isolation at home for those who got in contact with a person that has tested positive for the the disease.
Presently, Italy’s overall Covid-19 caseload stands at 359,569, with 36,205 deaths.
Since October 1, the daily increases in new cases ranged between 2,500 and 5,700, still low compared to other European countries, but enough to raise the alert to the national level.
As a result, the cabinet on October 7 reintroduced the mandatory use of face masks everywhere outdoor and indoor, when not in contact with household members, and extended the state of emergency until January 31, 2021
India’s tally on Tuesday mounted to 71,75,880 with a spike of 55,342 coronavirus cases, the lowest since August.
India recorded around 55,000 cases on July 31 (55,078), August 4 (52,050) and August 18 (55,079).
India is showing a trend of declining average daily cases over the past five weeks. After a month, on October 9, active cases fell below the 9 lakh mark and have steadily followed a downward slope since, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said.
Out of the total cases so far, 8,38,729 are currently active, 62,27,295 have been discharged, while 1,09,856 lost the battle against the pandemic.
While the recovery rate stands at 86.78 per cent, the fatality rate is 1.53 per cent, the data from the Ministry data showed.
Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit with a total of 15,35,315 cases including 40,514 deaths; followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
According to the data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India conducted 10,73,014 sample tests in a single day on Monday, taking the total number of samples tested so far to 8,89,45,107.
The Liverpool City Region will be placed in the “very high” level from Wednesday, the Prime Minister said, adding that following talks with local leaders, gyms, leisure centres, betting shops and casinos will also close in the region…reports Asian Lite News
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled a new three-level Covid-19 alert system that will be implemented across England, with the levels being decided according to the infection rates.
“We must act to save lives,” Xinhua news agency quoted Johnson as saying while addressing while the House of Commons, or the Lower House of Parliament, on Monday evening.
“We cannot let the virus rip.”
The current set of rules are “complex to understand and enforce”, he said, so the new system is designed to “simplify and standardize” the curbs.
The alert system comprises three levels: “Medium”, “High” and “Very High”.
“Medium” includes the current restrictions already in place, including the Rule of Six and the 10 hospitality curfew, Johnson said.
Most areas currently under local restrictions will “automatically” enter this level, he said.
“High” level reflects the local lockdown rules that are in place in parts of England currently, which primarily prevents people from socializing with other households indoors, but the so-called “support bubbles” will still be permitted.
“Very High” level is for places where “transmission rates are rising most rapidly” and the National Health Service (NHS) “could soon be under unbearable pressure”.
This level will see venues such as bars and pubs closed unless they can operate as restaurants, while people are also banned from socializing with other households both indoors and in private gardens, with local residents being advised against travelling in and out of these areas.
Further restrictions on hospitality, leisure, entertainment, and personal care sector could follow, but retail and education will stay open, Johnson said.
The Liverpool City Region will be placed in the “very high” level from Wednesday, the Prime Minister said, adding that following talks with local leaders, gyms, leisure centres, betting shops and casinos will also close in the region.
Johnson added that the number of confirmed cases had quadrupled over the past three weeks and there were more people in hospital now with the virus than when the country went into lockdown in March.
On Monday, the UK reported 13,972 new cases, which increased the overall tally to 617,688, according to official figures. The death toll currently stood at 42,965.
Meanwhile, further restrictions for London may be announced within days as the number of coronavirus cases in the city hit more than 7,700 a week.
Explaining the government’s move, Johnson said that this is “not how we want to live our lives”, but is “the narrow path we have to tread between social and economic costs of a full lockdown and the massive human and indeed economic cost of an uncontained epidemic”.
For those who will be affected by the new measures, Johnson also set out relevant financial support plans.
For example, the government will provide about 1 billion pounds of new funding to local authorities across the UK on top of the 3.6 billion-pound Towns Fund.
Meanwhile, responding to the new Covid-19 tier system announced by the Boris Johnson, Labour leader Keir Starmer said that he was “deeply sceptical” that Johnson had a plan to “get control of the virus, to protect jobs or regain public trust.”
Sir Keir Starmer
“We have tried to give the prime minister the benefit of the doubt, but it increasingly feels like he is several steps behind the curve and running to catch up with a virus that he has lost control of long ago,” Sir Keir said.
Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said that the prime minister has failed the north of England and the whole country.
“People across this country have endured terrible hardships over the past six months, losing loved ones, losing livelihoods and isolating from friends and family. That’s why people are so angry to see their hard work and sacrifices utterly wasted by the incompetence of Boris Johnson,” he said.
“The priority now has to be keeping people safe and ensuring no one is left behind, particularly in the north of England, which is bearing the brunt of the government’s shambles. Boris Johnson must get testing, tracing and isolating right, and provide proper economic support to save jobs and livelihoods. If the Government does not do more to help, it risks pushing millions of families into poverty.”
Businesses unhappy
Richard Burge, Chief Executive of London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “Bringing in a simplified system to manage and understand Covid-19 restrictions makes sense in theory, but it must be accompanied by evidence that explains clearly why certain businesses and sectors are the target of increased restrictions.
“Businesses have proven throughout this crisis that they will put the health of their staff and customers first, but after their valiant attempts to trade through this challenging climate and keep people employed, as the tiers change, they deserve a specific explanation of why and how their sacrifice will lower transmission rates.
For example, many London businesses question the basis of the 10pm curfew, especially when we see scenes of masses of people packing into public transport at once after.
“In London, businesses will also still be pondering whether any changes will be delivered city-wide or more locally.”
Donald Trump has tested negative for the novel coronavirus “on consecutive days”, White House doctor Sean Conley said in the first public disclosure about the US President’s health status after his October 2 announcement that he and the First Lady has contracted the disease.
Conley made the revelation in a memo on Monday shortly before Trump left for a re-election campaign rally in Sanford, Florida, his first since the announcement.
The physician said that Trump’s latest Covid-19 results came from an antigen test from Abbott Laboratories, adding that a variety of laboratory data have all indicated that the virus was no longer active in the President’s body, CNBC News reported.
“Repeatedly negative antigen tests, taken in context with additional clinical and laboratory data, including viral load, subgenomic RNA, and PCR cycle threshold measurements, as well as ongoing assessment of viral culture date, all indicate a lack of detectable viral replication,” Conley wrote.
The memo, however memo did not specify on which consecutive days Trump had tested negative.
After the Florida rally, Trump will campaign in Pennsylvania on Tuesday and Iowa the following day.
Monday’s development came after Trump made his first public appearance at a White House event on October 10.
At the South Lawn event, titled “Peaceful Protest in Support of Law and Order”, the President addressed the attendants, many who did not wear masks or were socially distancing, from the Blue Room Balcony.
Trump wore a face mask but took it off later when he started addressing the gathering.
On October 8, Conley cleared the President for public engagements “based on the trajectory of advanced diagnostics the team has been conducting”.
London, Sept. 15, 2020 (Xinhua) -- People sit on the lawn at Potters Fields Park in front of Tower Bridge in London, Britain, on Sept. 14, 2020. In order to curb the rise in coronavirus cases, tough new limits on social gatherings came into force in Britain on Monday, meaning that in most regions, it is now illegal for groups of more than six to meet up. The "rule of six" kicked off at midnight across England, Wales and Scotland in the latest push to curb the recent surge in coronavirus infections. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua/IANS)
A top UK scientist has said that a second nationwide lockdown was a possibility in the face of a worsening situation of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In a BBC interview on Sunday, Peter Horby, chair of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) and a government adviser, said the UK was at a “precarious point” as Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions have continued to increase.
He said the “critical mission” now was to protect the NHS to avoid non-essential hospital services being cancelled, as many were when the UK went into its first nationwide lockdown in March.
“We really need to provide care to everybody – those with Covid-19 and those without. The way to do that is to keep the numbers down,” the scientist said.
He warned that some hospitals in the north of England were already coming under pressure and it might not be long before intensive care beds fill up.
“I am afraid we are going to have to make some very difficult choices and act very quickly,” Horby told the BBC, adding that the country must accept more stringent measures to lower the virus transmission.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson
The scientist’s remarks came a day ahead of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement to imposed tougher local restrictions in the wake of the spike in the number of fresh cases.
In a statement to MPs, Johnson will outline plans for a three-tier system, where each region in England will be placed into a tier based on the severity of the Covid-19 situation.
It is expected that parts of the north of England and the Midlands will be placed under tougher measures as part of the Prime Minister’s announcement, the BBC reported.
Liverpool, where there are currently 600 cases per 100,000 people, is expected to be placed under the most severe set of restrictions, with all the city’s pubs forced to close.
Pubs and restaurants across Scotland have shut for at least two weeks.
On Sunday, 12,872 new cases and 65 fatalities were reported in the UK, which increased the overall tally and death toll to 606,447 and 42,915, respectively.
