27th Oct 2020 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=125 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Newshub Rumours that New Zealand will enter a planned lockdown in early November have been squashed by AllofGovernment COVID19 response group after the leaked proposal circulated social media. One person claiming to work in education said their superior was at the Ministry of Education during the school holidays and was told The Ministry of Health is preparing for a third wave that they have predicted will hit November 6 or 8. They used the word preparing. Im cynical when it comes to COVID and the government and what info they pass out they said in a Facebook message. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/10/coronavirus-officials-address-leaked-lockdown-plans-after-social-media-rumours-speculate-an-alert-level-move-planned-for-november.html 26th Oct 2020

Lockdown Exit

AlJazeera President Rodrigo Duterte said that he would favour a governmenttogovernment deal for the purchase of coronavirus vaccines in the Philippines to prevent the risk of corruption. Duterte made his latest pronouncement even as his Science and Technology Department secretary admitted that in the most optimistic scenario a vaccine would not be available until mid2021. Let me tell everybody that we will not beg we will pay Duterte said in a prerecorded address that aired on Tuesday morning. To the Chinese government you need not look for partners we can make it government to government added Duterte who repeatedly said that he received assurance from Beijing that the Philippines would be a priority when a vaccine is available. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/27/duterte 26th Oct 2020

Lockdown Exit

The New York Times Now Covid19 has led to an acceleration of what was going on before the pandemic said Slve Sundsb the Norwegian photographer whose work has appeared in Love magazine and international editions of Vogue. Namely that even established magazines expect photographers to contribute editorial work for free. Glen Luchford who recently shot campaigns for Gucci and Rag Bone and whose 1990s campaigns for Prada are beloved by the art world agreed. He recalled looking around the set at Gucci the rare client with a big photography budget and saying to his crew This is the last hurrah. This is the end. There is not going to be another period where we get to take over Universal Studios and build these massive sound stages and do these incredible things. Im not even sure that quality is required anymore he continued. Those kids out there looking at TikTok are way more interested in someone appearing in 10 or 20 seconds and doing something really interesting on their telephone than in something that is really beautifully lit. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/26/style/fashion-photographers-coronavirus.html 26th Oct 2020

Lockdown Exit

AlJazeera Sri Lankas parliament has been closed after a police officer at the complex tested positive for the coronavirus amid a new surge of cases in the country. Parliament will be closed for two days as a precautionary measure so the premises can be disinfected said Narendra Fernando the parliaments sergeant at arms. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/26/sri-lanka-shuts-parliament-after-coronavirus-case-detected 26th Oct 2020

Lockdown Exit

AlJazeera Paty Chavez has had a rough few weeks. A nurse at a regional hospital in the Indigenous highlands of Guatemala she tested positive for COVID19 recovered protested against the hospitals response to the virus and then was fired all in the span of 15 days. My colleagues are all scared. They say look what happened to the person who most spoke out said Chavez an Indigenous Maya Kiche mother of three who worked for four years at the El Quiche Regional Hospital 137km 85 miles northwest of the capital. But as is the case with so many public health workers in Guatemala basic labour rights eluded Chavez because she works on a contract basis a problem that has been exacerbated by COVID19. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/26/hold-guatemala-health-workers-face-retaliation-over-covid-concern 26th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

NPR In hopes of jumpstarting a business decimated by the pandemic airlines and airports are offering preflight on the spot testing for COVID19 with some test results back in 15 minutes. https://www.npr.org/2020/10/26/927334455/can-pre-flight-covid-19-testing-get-travelers-back-on-planes 26th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

FRANCE 24 English Melbourne Australias secondbiggest city will exit its coronavirus lockdown after nearly four months under onerous restrictions authorities announced Monday with no new daily cases or deaths recorded. Lockdown orders for Melbournes residents will be lifted from midnight Tuesday into Wednesday while restaurants beauty salons and retail stores will be permitted to throw open their doors to customers. Home to 5 million people Australias secondbiggest city has been in lockdown since early July after a spike of Covid19 infections that began in hotels where people were in quarantine after arriving from abroad. https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20201026-emotional-day-as-melbourne-welcomes-exit-from-covid-19-lockdown 26th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

CNN Chinas top leaders are meeting behind closed doors in Beijing on Monday to map out their economic and political agenda for the next five years as the ruling Communist Party looks to capitalize on its containment of the coronavirus epidemic. President Xi Jinping who also heads the Party will join the members of the Central Committee the Partys top decisionmaking body to formulate the 14th FiveYear Plan the vast policy framework by which China will be governed from 2021 to 2025. In an unusual step the committee will also be drawing up a vision for 2035 a longterm plan for the year which Xi has set as a deadline for China to basically achieve socialist modernization. https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/26/asia/beijing-china-plenum-economy-us-intl-hnk/index.html 26th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

Forbes The Australian city of Melbourne recently a coronavirus hotspot in the country is the latest to announce it will lift restrictions after going 24 hours without a single new infection or death for the first time in four months in sharp contrast to the other side of the world where new infections are spiking in the U.S. and in Europe where fresh lockdowns are being introduced. https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/2020/10/26/as-europe-and-the-us-struggle-to-contain-covid-19-surge-australia-lifts-its-strictest-lockdown/ 26th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

Daily Mail October 26 was the first time Victoria state recorded zero cases since June 8 From Tuesday night pubs and shops will reopen and residents can leave home There will be more restrictions relaxed on 8 November if numbers stay low In total Victoria has seen 20341 total Covid19 cases and 817 related deaths https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8878767/Australias-second-wave-epicentre-records-zero-new-virus-cases.html 26th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

Voice of America After more than three months under stifling restrictions imposed in response to a second wave of COVID19 cases life in Australias secondlargest city is slowly about to return to normal. Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews announced Monday that Melbournes five million citizens will be able to leave their homes effective Tuesday at midnight and that all cafes restaurants bars shops and hotels will be allowed to reopen. The announcement comes as Melbourne and the surrounding Victoria state recorded its first 24hour period without any new coronavirus infections since June 9. The state had been plagued by a dramatic spike of new COVID19 cases peaking in August when daily new cases rose above 700. The resurgence of new cases has been blamed on security lapses at hotels where travelers were being quarantined after traveling overseas. https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/australias-second-largest-city-begin-emerging-strict-covid-19-lockdown 26th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

The Guardian A crowd at the MCG for the Boxing Day Test has been all but guaranteed by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews as the states coronavirus restrictions were significantly eased. Melbourne will start to open up following more than four months in hard lockdown after no Covid19 cases were recorded in Victoria on Monday. Cricket Australia is yet to lock in its international schedule for a summer highlighted by a blockbuster fourTest series against India. Premier Andrews said the lifting of restrictions meant it was too late for crowds to attend next months Melbourne Cup but not the biggest day in Australian cricket. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/oct/26/boxing-day-test-crowd-allowed-at-mcg-after-melbourne-lockdown-ends 26th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

The Conversation AU If the past few months have been like a longhaul flight Victorians are now standing in the aisles waiting for the cabin door to open a little groggy and disoriented but relieved. They have every right to be. No other place in the world has tamed a second wave this large. Few have even come close. https://theconversation.com/finally-at-zero-new-cases-victoria-is-on-top-of-the-world-after-unprecedented-lockdown-effort-148808 26th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

BBC The Australian city of Melbourne will exit lockdown from Wednesday after recording no new Covid19 cases for the first time since June. Victoria state was the epicentre of Australias second wave accounting for more than 90 of its 905 deaths. The state capital Melbourne went into lockdown 111 days ago enforcing home confinement travel restrictions and and closing stores and restaurants. However on Monday authorities said the city was ready to reopen. With zero cases and so much testing over the weekend... we are able to say that now is the time to open up said Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. In July Victoria saw cases surge to more than 700 per day but the severe stayathome rules and a curfew have brought the numbers down. Mr Andrews praised the states six million residents saying Fundamentally this belongs to every single Victorian who has followed the rules stayed the course worked with me and my team to bring this second wave to an end. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-54686812 26th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters UK Victoria state Australias COVID19 epicentre on Sunday delayed an expected announcement on the easing of lockdown restrictions due to an outbreak in Melbourne prompting warnings that residents were at a financial and mental breaking point. The restrictions have limited most retail businesses in the states capital to providing online services only since early August and 5 million people living under stayathome orders were expecting an announcement on Sunday. State premier Daniel Andrews told a media conference the outbreak in Melbournes northern suburbs threatened to push the reopening date of retail and hospitality businesses closer to Nov. 1. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-australia/australias-covid-19-epicentre-delays-decision-on-lifting-lockdown-restrictions-idUKKBN27A00B 26th Oct 2020

Partisan Exits

USA Today Mike Pence plans to preside over the Senate floor during a vote on Amy Coney Barretts confirmation despite several of his top aides contracting COVID19. https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/politics/elections/2020/10/26/mike-pences-top-aides-test-positive-covid-19-vp-not-quarantining/6042345002/ 26th Oct 2020

Partisan Exits

BBC A senior aide to President Donald Trump has conceded that the US is not going to control the pandemic. Instead White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Covid19 could only be defeated by mitigation areas like vaccines and therapeutics. His remarks come as coronavirus cases surge in the US nine days before the presidential election. Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden said the White House was waving the white flag of defeat. He added that Mr Meadows comments showed that the Trump administration had given up on their basic duty to protect the American people. In an interview with CNN Mr Meadows said control of the virus was not a realistic goal because it is a contagious virus just like the flu. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-us-2020-54687096 26th Oct 2020

Partisan Exits

Byline Times COVID19 has caused more than 41 million confirmed cases and more than a million deaths worldwide with more than 220000 deaths in the US alone and more than 58000 registered COVID19 deaths in the UK so far. A second wave of transmission is sweeping across much of Europe and many parts of the world. In the UK case numbers have been rising since early August with more than 20000 daily confirmed cases currently. These numbers are likely to be underestimates give our limited testing capacity and according to the Office for National Statistics we may be closer to 35000 daily cases in England alone. Deaths have been rising since September with around a total of 2600 deaths so far in the second wave and 200 daily deaths currently. While case numbers may not seem to be rising as sharply in the south of England compared to the north they are actually just lagging by three to four weeks. https://bylinetimes.com/2020/10/26/being-herded-into-disaster-in-a-post-science-world/ 26th Oct 2020

Partisan Exits

The Guardian The government has been criticised by its own Islamophobia adviser for refusing to publish the evidence behind Matt Hancocks claim that people were not abiding to social distancing as he imposed a lockdown on 4.6 million people in northern England at the start of the Muslim celebration of Eid alAdha. Qari Asim the deputy chair of a government taskforce on antiMuslim hatred said the health secretarys claim on Twitter added to hateful narratives and gave the impression that Muslim communities were not social distancing and were ignoring the government guidelines. Hancock made the remark in a latenight Twitter thread on 30 July when Eid alAdha started announcing with three hours notice that strict restrictions would be imposed on Greater Manchester parts of East Lancashire West Yorkshire and Leicester from midnight. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/oct/26/hancock-added-to-anti-muslim-hate-with-distancing-claims-says-government-adviser 26th Oct 2020

Partisan Exits

Daily Mail A window was destroyed and walls discoloured during Sundays arson attack Berlin police are now investigating whether the attack was politically motivated The German capital has seen some angry protests against the lockdown rules https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8880667/Arsonists-throw-petrol-bombs-Germanys-Robert-Koch-Institute.html 26th Oct 2020

Partisan Exits

YAHOO! Anger was growing in Italy Monday over harsh new coronavirus restrictions brought in to save Christmas while other hardhit countries enforced curfews in a bid to avoid fresh national lockdowns. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Contes decision to close restaurants and bars from 600 pm and shut all theatres cinemas and gyms for a month was widely criticised even as scientists questioned whether it would be enough to stop the virus. These restrictions will be the end of us said Giuseppe Tonon 70 the owner of a restaurant in Oderzo a small village in northeastern Italy. https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/anger-over-italy-virus-rules-115049826.html 26th Oct 2020

Continued Lockdown

BBC Deserted High Streets and home working are stifling the British job markets recovery new research suggests. Urban areas in Scotland and southern England have seen the biggest declines in job postings according to the Centre for Cities CfC think tank. Vacancies have failed to return to prepandemic levels across all 63 towns and cities it analysed across the UK. CfC boss Andrew Carter said local lockdowns while necessary will exacerbate the situation over winter. The slow jobs recovery is linked to a collapse in the number of jobs in services being advertised CfC said. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54685709 26th Oct 2020

Continued Lockdown

heraldscotland.com Aberdeen and Edinburgh have become worst in a UKwide cities study revealing a slump in job vacancies during lockdown as the areas are more reliant on industries hit hardest by the economic fallout. Urban areas in Scotland and south England are bearing the steepest declines in vacancies the Centre for Cities found. The think tank and jobs site Indeed found that seven months after the nationwide lockdown was imposed job vacancies have failed to return to preCovid levels in all 63 towns and cities analysed. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18821306.two-scots-areas-uk-hotspots-slumps-job-vacancies-covid-lockdown/ 26th Oct 2020

Continued Lockdown

Daily Mail Australians stuck living in share houses during pandemic share their struggles Many renters faced relationship breakups tough landlords and fears of eviction At least 20 per cent of Australian renters chose to move back with their parents https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8878891/How-Australian-renters-suffered-lockdowns.html 26th Oct 2020

Continued Lockdown

Reuters Social distancing and lockdowns in Australia not only slowed the spread of COVID19 they saved the lives of about 400 people who would have been expected to died in June from respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia a research paper published on Monday showed. Examining Australias most recent official fatality data the Actuaries Institute said there was a shortfall between verified deaths and the number expected during the midwinter month which it concluded was due to a decline in respiratory illnesses. https://ca.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-australia-data/australias-covid-19-lockdown-also-prevented-about-400-deaths-from-other-illnesses-research-paper-idUSKBN27B09Y 26th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Mirror Online The proportion of the public testing positive for antibodies fell from six per cent to 4.4 per cent in three months according to a major study commissioned in England by the Department of Health and Social Care. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/coronavirus-immunity-only-lasts-few-22910624 27th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail on MSN.com A team of cardiologists say increased rates of myocarditis inflammation of the heart particularly among college athletes in the US diagnosed with COVID19 is not a cause for concern. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/medical/heart-inflammation-in-athletes-who-survive-covid-19-not-major-concern/ar-BB1apneb 26th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Chemist+Druggist CD and Professor Mahendra Patel are campaigning together to find 1000 pharmacies to contribute to an Oxford University COVID19 clinical trial by signposting suitable patients. In September Professor Patel was appointed as national black Asian and minority ethnic BAME community and pharmacy lead for the PRINCIPLE COVID19 clinical trial run by Oxford University. The trial is evaluating whether the use of two common antibiotics azithromycin and doxycycline can help people with COVID19 symptoms recover at home thereby reducing the need for hospital admissions. It is open to people who are aged over 50 with certain underlying health conditions and to anyone over the age of 65. https://www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/news/cd-and-covid-19-trial-pharmacist-lead-find-community-recruits 26th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail Suggests group at highest risk of serious illness and death could be protected Study found jab prompted release of antibodies and Tcells in people over 55 Findings not made public yet but Oxford released statement to build excitement https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8880173/Elderly-people-given-Oxford-Universitys-vaccine-protection-Covid-19.html 26th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

BBC The US has cancelled plans to offer Santa Claus performers early access to a coronavirus vaccine in exchange for their help in promoting it publicly. Those who perform as Mrs Claus and elves would also have been eligible for the jabs. The festive collaboration was part of a 250m 192m government campaign to garner celebrity endorsements of vaccinations once they are approved. But health authorities confirmed the advertising campaign had been scrapped. Ric Erwin chairman of the Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas called the news extremely disappointing. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-54686844 26th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

BBC The Czech Republic was praised for its swift initial response to the coronavirus crisis but seven months on its now recording 15000 new cases a day and has the second highest per capita death rate over seven days in the world. So what went wrong Letnany Exhibition Grounds on the northern outskirts of Prague is usually where you go to check out the latest caravans or fitted kitchens. But its cavernous halls are now home to a ghostly field hospital built by the army in just over seven days. On Sunday it was formally handed over to Pragues main infectious diseases hospital. Our task is to enhance the capacity of civilian hospitals said Colonel Ladislav Slechta commander of the Czech Armys Military Medical Agency which built the facility. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54639351 26th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Mint Johnson Johnsons first batches of its Covid19 vaccine could be available for emergency use as soon as January Ruxandra DraghiaAkli the companys head of public health research and development said in a presentation at the World Health Summit. https://www.livemint.com/science/health/johnson-johnson-sees-covid-19-vaccine-available-as-soon-as-january-11603694159939.html 26th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Conversation AU Of the 215 nations and territories that have reported COVID19 cases 120 have experienced clear second waves or late first waves that began in July or later. Thats according to the Worldometer global database which sources data from national ministries of health and the World Health Organisation. Of these 120 only six have definitively emerged from their second wave Australia South Korea Japan Hong Kong Vietnam and Singapore. I am not including New Zealand as the series of clusters that arose in Auckland in midAugust never evolved into a clear second wave. https://theconversation.com/of-all-the-places-that-have-seen-off-a-second-coronavirus-wave-only-vietnam-and-hong-kong-have-done-as-well-as-victorians-148520 26th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

New Zealand Herald The World Health Organisation WHO has highlighted the steps New Zealand took to eliminate Covid19 within its community. In a fourminute video posted on social media the WHO details how the country went from its first case of coronavirus on February 28 to the peak of daily new cases at 89 to successfully eliminating the virus within a matter of months. The video singles out New Zealands plan including the strict lockdown measures the isolation of any positive cases and close contacts as well as the countrys contact tracing method. It features footage from Prime Minister Jacinda Arderns addresses to the nation including the level 4 lockdown announcement as well as interviews with some of the countrys top experts including Dr Ashley Bloomfield. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-world-health-organisation-highlights-new-zealands-pandemic-success/53CLYYJI6LUBMW5GVWYUEQGLWM/ 26th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Israel will begin human trials for a potential COVID19 vaccine developed by a research institute overseen by the Defence Ministry on Nov. 1 after receiving regulatory approval the ministry said on Sunday. The Israel Institute for Biological Research IIBR began animal trials for its BriLife vaccine in March. The Health Ministry and an oversight committee have now given the green light to take it to the next stage. Eighty volunteers aged between 18 and 55 will be monitored for three weeks to see if virus antibodies develop the ministry said in a statement. A second phase expected to begin in December will involve 960 people over the age of 18. https://www.reuters.com/article/healthcoronavirus-israel-vaccine/israel-to-start-covid-19-vaccine-human-trials-on-nov-1-idUSL8N2HG0KZ 26th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

FierceBiotech Celltrion has nabbed a speedy preapproval for its quick pandemic virus test as it forecasts high demand. This comes three months after asking the FDA for an emergency use authorization which has been giving COVID19 tests and drugs the ability to be used in the U.S. but is not a full approval. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/celltrion-nabs-emergency-use-for-rapid-covid-test-from-fda 26th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

New Zealand Herald On March 17 this year a man was taken to hospital in Israel suffering from a dry cough and a loss of sense of smell. He developed a fever and felt tired but after three days as an inpatient was released to quarantine. Then something strange started happening. His handwriting changed. It became smaller crabbed and unreadable. Not just that but he struggled to speak clearly or write texts on his phone. His right hand began to tremble. Eventually symptoms became so bad that he returned to hospital this time to the department of neurology dealing in disorders of the brain and nervous system. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/covid-19-coronavirus-the-strange-ways-virus-can-affect-the-brain/IIID27LYGKM4DGIM222Z4AOPSA/ 26th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

AlJazeera An experimental COVID19 vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom produces an immune response in both younger and older adults triggering lower adverse responses among the elderly British drugmaker says. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/26/oxford-vaccine-prompts-immune-response-in-old-people-astrazeneca 26th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

CNN on MSN.com This time the sevenday average of daily new cases reached an alltime high of 68767 on Sunday according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The previous record of 67293 was set July 22. Unfortunately I think the statement about new record is going to be repeated over and over again in the days and weeks to come said Dr. Ashish Jha dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. I expect that those numbers will continue to climb. Hospitalizations are going to continue to climb. The abysmal week was marked by the two worst days of daily new cases reported since the pandemic began. More than 83000 new cases were reported both Friday and Saturday according to Johns Hopkins. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/covid-case-record-the-us-had-more-daily-covid-19-cases-in-the-past-week-than-ever-before-and-no-it-s-not-just-due-to-more-testing/ar-BB1aojF8?bep_ref=1&ampbep_csid=23026 26th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian The NHS has been given in excess of 1bn less than it needs to tackle the second wave of Covid19 deal with the coming winter and restart routine operations the Guardian has learned. The disclosure raises questions about the pledge from the chancellor Rishi Sunak at the start of the pandemic to give the NHS whatever resources it needs to cope with the pandemic. Hospitals across England face holes in their budget for the rest of the year of up to 20m which they say is hampering their efforts to prepare properly for the services annual winter crisis and get back to prepandemic levels of surgery. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/oct/26/nhs-short-of-over-1bn-for-second-covid-wave-and-onset-of-winter 26th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK Chancellor Angela Merkel in planning a lockdown light that will focus on closing bars restaurants and public events to slow a second wave of COVID19 infections in Germany Bild newspaper reported on Monday. Shops will stay open with some restrictions under the plan and schools will keep operating apart from in areas with particularly high numbers of cases the massselling daily reported. A government spokesman neither confirmed nor denied the report and said no final decisions had been made. Infections have almost doubled in the past week in Germany and cases are also rising across Europe and large parts of the Northern Hemisphere. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-germany-lockdown/second-german-district-to-enter-lockdown-after-spike-in-coronavirus-cases-idUKKBN27B1FC 26th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

CNN Melbourne the city at the epicenter of Australias coronavirus epidemic will move out of lockdown this week after the Victoria state health department on Sunday reported no new cases and no deaths due to the virus for the first time in more than four months. Announcing the relaxation of restrictions at a news conference on Monday Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said starting on Tuesday at 1159 p.m. Melbourne residents will be allowed to leave their homes and most businesses in the state can reopen with restrictions on the number of people. With 0 cases and so much testing we are able to say that now is the time to open up. Now is the time to congratulate every single Victorian who has stayed the course Andrews said. The remarkable milestone of no new cases comes just months after Andrews declared a state of disaster to stem an outbreak that saw as many as 725 people in the state test positive for the virus in a single day. https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/26/australia/australia-victoria-covid-19-intl-hnk/index.html 26th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Washington Post European leaders are bracing for disaster too. After a summer of reopenings and revived travel and tourism a second wave is ravaging countries that both evaded and suffered from the first. France reported a daily record in cases on Sunday. Cases in Poland doubled in less than three weeks and the countrys president now has the virus. In the Czech Republic more than 250000 people in a country of 10.7 million are infected. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/10/26/united-states-europe-coronavrius-surge/ 26th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Financial Times More than 100 asymptomatic coronavirus cases have been discovered in Xinjiang one of Chinas most heavily monitored and policed regions. It is the biggest cluster detected in the country since July. On Saturday a 17yearold girl tested positive for Covid19 in Kashgar sparking a citywide testing drive and strict restrictions on movement. A further 137 infections were discovered on Sunday each linked to a factory in Shufu county where the teenagers parents work according to local health officials. https://www.ft.com/content/4e7236a8-da47-4ff3-a59a-ed1aa0c33caf 26th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Washington Post Just two days after announcing the discovery of a single asymptomatic case of the novel coronavirus authorities in Chinas Kashgar area said they have tested 4.5 million residents nearly the entire population. By Monday evening 164 asymptomatic cases had been found in the area. The swift response by health authorities in Kashgar a trade hub of 4.7 million people in Chinas farwestern Xinjiang region reflects the heavy pressures on local officials to quash the outbreak the countrys largest since the summer. Central government officials flew there during the weekend to monitor the testing. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/china-kashgar-xinjiang-coronavirus-outbreak/2020/10/26/6db14e6e-1748-11eb-8bda-814ca56e138b_story.html 26th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC China is once again mass testing an entire city for the coronavirus amid a regional outbreak in Xinjiang province. Around 4.7m people in Kashgar are being tested with 138 asymptomatic cases found so far. China has been largely successful in bringing infection rates down but there continue to be small outbreaks. Xinjiang is home to Chinas mostlyMuslim Uighur minority which rights groups say is being persecuted by the government in Beijing. Schools in Kashgar have been closed and residents are not allowed to leave the city unless they have a negative test report. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-54687533 26th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian China has detected 137 new asymptomatic coronavirus cases in Kashgar in the northwestern region of Xinjiang after one person was found to have the virus the previous day the first new local cases for 10 days in mainland China. All the cases detected on Sunday were linked to a garment factory where the parents of a 17yearold girl who was found on Saturday to have the virus but showed no symptoms worked a Xinjiang health commission official told a press briefing. The new cases marked mainland Chinas first local infections since 14 October when one was detected in Qingdao. Xinjiang was the site of a local cluster in August which prompted a wartime state of lockdown in the capital Urumqi but no new cases had been found in the region since 15 August. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/26/china-new-coronavirus-outbreak-detected-in-xinjiang-city-of-kashgar 26th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

EU Reporter Belgium one of the European countries worst hit by COVID19 has tightened curbs on social contacts by banning fans from sports matches and limiting numbers in cultural spaces while officials in Wallonia imposed a stricter night curfew on residents write Robin Emmott Marine Strauss and Kate Abnett. The local government in the Frenchspeaking region among the hardesthit parts of the country has told people to stay at home from 10pm to 6am and made remote working mandatory for students until Nov. 19. Belgium which has Europes second highest infection rate per capita after the Czech Republic had already closed cafes bars and restaurants and imposed a shorter night curfew. New infections hit a peak of 10500 on Thursday. But the government has resisted calls from medical experts to order a new lockdown to avoid causing more economic pain. https://www.eureporter.co/frontpage/2020/10/26/belgium-tightens-covid-19-measures-hopes-to-avoid-lockdown/ 26th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK German business morale fell for the first time in six months in October weighed down by companies concerns about rising coronavirus infection rates that are making them more sceptical about the coming months a survey showed on Monday. The Ifo institute said its business climate index fell to 92.7 from a downwardly revised 93.2 in September. A Reuters poll had foreseen a decline to 93.0. Companies are considerably more sceptical regarding developments over the coming months Ifo President Clemens Fuest said in a statement. In view of rising infection numbers German business is becoming increasingly worried. The German economy contracted by 9.7 in the second quarter as household spending company investments and trade collapsed at the height of the pandemic. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-germany-economy-ifo/german-business-sentiment-falls-on-coronavirus-angst-idUKKBN27B112 26th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

CNN Like the groundhog that peeks out and then retreats until winter is over Wales has been forced back underground by the shadow of the coronavirus. Friday nights are usually heady and vibrant in the Welsh capital its people are famous for being fiercely proud and incredibly hospitable. Cardiff then is a good place to welcome the weekend. At least it was until Friday October 23 when Wales rolled back the clock to March 2020 to start a second national lockdown. https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/26/europe/wales-coronavirus-lockdown-gbr-intl/index.html 26th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

Euractiv.com Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte detailed on Sunday 25 October the new measures to be enforced from Monday 26 October to 24 November. The analysis of the current situation shows a worrying increase of positive cases https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/mini-lockdown-enforced-in-italy/ 26th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

Reuters The Spanish government faced a backlash on Monday over its plans to put the country one of Europes worst COVID19 hotspots under a state of emergency for six months. Opposition parties said that was too long epidemiologists said the move may be too little too late and some citizens balked at nightly curfews. The curfew doesnt make much sense. Does the virus only infect people between 2300 and 0600 No said Marta Aragoneses a 36year old schoolteacher enjoying a cigarette outside a cafe in Madrids historic La Latina neighbourhood. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-spain/spain-enters-covid-state-of-emergency-to-much-dismay-idUKKBN27B1PS 26th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

Bloomberg on MSN.com Europe took a step closer to the stringent restrictions imposed during the initial wave of the coronavirus pandemic as leaders struggle regain control of the spread. Italy introduced its strongest virus restrictions since the end of a lockdown in May and Spain will impose new measures including a nationwide curfew. Germany will discuss its next steps on Monday when Chancellor Angela Merkel convenes her crisis task force. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/europe-steps-closer-to-lockdown-level-curbs-in-italy-and-spain/ar-BB1anbgO 26th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

Medical Xpress Spains Catalonia region said Monday it was studying imposing a lockdown on weekends to fight the spread of the coronavirus a day after a nighttime curfew came into effect across the country. It is a scenario which is on the table because it is during the weekend that there are more social interactions the spokeswoman for the regional government Meritxell Budo told Catalan public radio. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-spain-catalonia-mulls-weekend-virus.html 26th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

YAHOO! Chancellor Angela Merkel in planning a lockdown light that will focus on closing bars restaurants and public events to slow a second wave of COVID19 infections in Germany Bild newspaper reported on Monday. Shops will stay open with some restrictions under the plan and schools will keep operating apart from in areas with particularly high numbers of cases the massselling daily reported. A government spokesman neither confirmed nor denied the report and said no final decisions had been made. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/second-german-district-enter-lockdown-115724447.html 26th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

The Connexion France has lost control of the coronavirus pandemic and should follow the examples of Ireland and Wales by heading back into lockdown a leading expert on infectious diseases has warned. Professor Eric Caumes on France Info The virus is so present among us that I think that today we have no choice but to reconfine Professor Eric Caumes right head of the infectious diseases department at PitiSalptrire hospital in Paris said in an interview with Franceinfo on Monday. https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/France-must-impose-a-second-coronavirus-lockdown 26th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

Xinhua Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Monday that a second lockdown might be the ultimate measure to contain the sharp rise of coronavirus infections. The higher the infection rates the more restrictive measures are needed said Kurz on the Austrian National Day. The ultimate measure is a second lockdown. He emphasized that the Alpine country is facing an extreme challenge with the exponential growth of infections. Even for those who still do not want to believe it the situation is very very serious said Kurz. The key is to prevent the intensive care units from being overwhelmed added the chancellor. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-10/26/c_139468700.htm 26th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

Reuters Malaysia on Monday extended a partial lockdown on its capital Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding state of Selangor for another two weeks as the country recorded the biggest jump in coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic. The Southeast Asian nation has seen a resurgence in infections with the total number of cases more than doubling in the past month. The health ministry reported 1240 new coronavirus cases on Monday the highest daily rise on record. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-malaysia/malaysia-extends-partial-lockdown-in-capital-amid-covid-19-surge-idUSKBN27B17X 26th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

Reuters UK Chancellor Angela Merkel in planning a lockdown light that will focus on closing bars restaurants and public events to slow a second wave of COVID19 infections in Germany Bild newspaper reported on Monday. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-germany-lockdown/second-german-district-to-enter-lockdown-after-spike-in-coronavirus-cases-idUKKBN27B1FG 26th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

The Washington Post Italy became the latest European country to announce new restrictions to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus on Sunday as countries across the continent continue to report surging infections. France on Sunday announced more than 50000 new infections a new record for the fourth day running. Germany widely lauded for its initial handling of the virus reported a surge of its own. The number of coronavirus cases in Poland has doubled in less than three weeks. And Spain has also imposed new restrictions. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/coronavirus-europe-italy-second-wave-lockdown/2020/10/25/6c011306-16df-11eb-82db-60b15c874105_story.html 25th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

The Wall Street Journal Europes second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating forcing countries to impose evermore socialdistancing rules in a bid to avoid a return to fullblown lockdowns. France announced a daily record for coronavirus infections with confirmed infections reaching over 52000 on Sunday compared with nearly 84000 confirmed cases in the U.S. on Saturday whose population is around five times bigger. Italy struggling with an explosive rise in infections imposed the toughest restrictions on its population since ending its lockdown including the closure of all bars and restaurants at 6 p.m. In Spain the government announced a state of emergency as it did in March giving national authorities greater powers to impose socialdistancing and emergency healthcare policies. https://www.wsj.com/articles/european-countries-announce-new-covid-19-restrictions-record-infections-11603638712 25th Oct 2020