Category Archives: Lockdown

The Queen Teaches Boris Johnson A Lesson On How To Follow Covid Rules

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The Queen reportedly refused to waive Covid restrictions during Prince Philip’s funeral in April last year, which was held the day after Downing Street hosted two leaving parties for staff.

The image of the monarch sat alone in St George’s Chapel while saying goodbye to her husband of 73 years stuck with many people who were also grieving at the time.

As none of the other 29 attendees were in her bubble, she was the only person in the chapel on her own.

Recent reports have since claimed that Downing Street staff actually filled up a suitcase with bottles of Co-op wine and then took it to No.10 for two parties just the night before the Duke of Edinburgh’s televised funeral.

Private Eye, who broke the story this week, claimed that the Queen was actually also offered an exception to the lockdown rules for the solemn occasion after Philip’s death on April 9.

Reportedly, this was because the next stage of Boris Johnson’s “roadmap” out of the restrictions was set to happen in May – so the palace would only be a few weeks ahead of the general public.

The government reportedly asked if she wanted to invite more than 30 mourners but the Queen declined, “on the grounds she wanted to set an example rather than be an exception to the rules”.

As the news outlet pointed out, Downing Street subsequently “threw two parties instead” while the rest of the country was in a period of national mourning.

The Palace has not spoken out about Partygate, but Downing Street did admit that it recently issued an apology to the Queen over those particular social gatherings.

Johnson’s deputy spokesperson also told reporters it was “deeply regrettable” that the parties occurred during a period of national mourning.

Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, hit out at the prime minister over Partygate during Wednesday’s PMQs by comparing his behaviour to the monarch.

Starmer said: “Last year Her Majesty the Queen sat alone when she marked the passing of the man she’d been married to for 73 years, she followed the rules of the country that she leads.

“On the eve of that funeral, a suitcase was filled with booze and wheeled into Downing Street, a DJ played and staff partied late into the night.

“The prime minister has been forced to hand an apology to Her Majesty the Queen.

“Isn’t he ashamed that he didn’t hand in his resignation at the same time?”

Before Johnson could reply, the Speaker of the Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, interjected and said: “We normally would not, quite rightly, mention the Royal Family.

“We don’t get into discussions on the Royal Family.”

Erskine May, a famous publication which outlines parliamentary procedure, does state: “No question can be put which brings the name of the sovereign or the influence of the Crown directly before Parliament, or which casts reflections upon the sovereign or the Royal Family.”

MPs are allowed to pose questions on matters related to costs to the public or palaces.

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Covid Latest: Why The Next Few Days Are Crucial

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Downing Street has ruled out introducing any further restrictions this side of Christmas, but it remains unclear if this will change once the festive season is over.

As Omicron has swept through London at an alarming rate, making it the epicentre for the virus in the UK in just a few weeks.

So when it comes to weighing up the impact of Omicron and the potential damage from new Covid measures, the government and its scientific advisers are expected to look to the capital first to gage just what this new variant might do.

What’s going on in London?

Covid cases in London are increasing rapidly.

According to London.gov.uk, 20,491 people tested positive on Tuesday 21 December.

For the week ending 16 December, there were more than 800 positive cases per 100,000 population in every London borough.

Weekly rate of new Covid-19 cases in the UK show how London infections have shot up in recent weeks

PA Graphics/Press Association Images

Weekly rate of new Covid-19 cases in the UK show how London infections have shot up in recent weeks

There were 1,904 total patients in London hospitals with Covid on Tuesday, up by approximately 600 compared to Tuesday 14 December.

On Sunday 19 December, 245 new patients were admitted to hospital in London with Covid.

There were 201 Covid patients in ventilation beds in London, an increase of seven since last week, and 19 people died in the city’s hospitals after testing positive for Covid.

According to Jane Merrick in the i, experts are most interested in the hospitalisation rate.

If the hospitalisations exceed around 400 Covid patients a day in London, that could put intense pressure on the NHS – meaning the virus was causing too much damage to the health service and more restrictions would be needed.

Covid-19 patients in hospital in the UK

PA GraphicsPress Association Images

Covid-19 patients in hospital in the UK

Why does this matter?

If hospitalisation numbers become too high in London, that suggests the rest of the country would soon follow suit.

As prime minister Boris Johnson has explained, scientists are still not clear how severe Omicron can be in some people who get infected.

Without this knowledge the government does not want to press on with introducing further restrictions.

Deaths involving Covid-19 in England & Wales

PA GraphicsPress Association Images

Deaths involving Covid-19 in England & Wales

How hopeful should we be?

It’s important to note that hospitalisations lag behind infection rates by approximately two weeks.

But, as Omicron tightened its grip on London at the start of December, there is a chance that the low hospital admission rate may indicate the new variant truly isn’t as severe as the previous strains.

Covid rates in London hospitals are much lower than those at the end of 2020, when Johnson announced the UK’s third lockdown.

Approximately 1,904 people are in hospital now compared to 3,367 last year.

The World Health Organisation’s professor Paul Hunter told The Times that current Omicron infections were less than half of the original forecast – expected to be at 200,000 positive cases a day by 20 December.

He added: “It’s possible that something is changing with the epidemiology of Omicron – it’s possible that it’s not growing at the rate that it was.”

What else could impact the UK’s Omicron response?

London’s infection rate is not the only factor which will influence the government’s Covid response, especially as the variant spread rapidly through the UK.

The priority is still whether or not the NHS can cope if there’s a surge in cases, especially if some healthcare workers are off sick themselves with the virus.

Cases across the UK seems to have stabilised at approximately 90,000 for the sixth day in a row, too, despite the concerning situation in London.

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Will There Be Another Lockdown In 2021? Here’s What We Know

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The government is repeatedly dodging calls for tighter restrictions despite rising Covid cases in the UK – so does this mean Britain could be heading for another its fourth lockdown in less than two years?

Will there be another lockdown?

There are no current plans to introduce a lockdown any time soon. Boris Johnson has claimed there is “nothing in the data” to suggest the UK needs to tighten restrictions – but he also refused to “rule anything out”.

Hospitalisations would need to reach almost 1,500 a day for the NHS to be overwhelmed, triggering another lockdown. Government data shows there are currently around 880 people admitted each day.

Deaths from Covid remain relatively low, too, compared to the previous rates seen shortly before lockdowns in March 2020, November 2020, and January 2021.

Deaths involving Covid-19 in England & Wales
Deaths involving Covid-19 in England & Wales

Sky News’ science correspondent Thomas Moore has also said the government has shown “no inclination towards tightening up the rules” or even bringing in plan B.

Waning immunity and a relaxation in behaviour have triggered small spikes in infections since the UK unlocked in July, but booster jabs have seen these spikes level off quickly.

The prime minister has refused to implement plan B – mandatory face masks and working from home – relying on the vaccine take-up and boosters instead.

The government has promised to keep an eye on the data but also appears wary of bringing about the same anti-lockdown protests seen across Europe.

Only a “firebreak” lockdown will be used if necessary, although business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told Sky News in October: “I would rule this out.”

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi has also claimed the UK’s early and successful vaccine rollout means it’s unlikely that more restrictions will be brought in.

What’s happening in Europe?

Yet, Covid cases have certainly been climbing in Europe in recent weeks.

Austria became the first Western country to go into another full, national lockdown in November while Germany’s health minister Jens Spahn warned that by the end of winter, most of the country will be “vaccinated, cured or dead”.

The Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, Croatia, Ireland, Slovakia and Czechia are all struggling with infections too.

However, Professor Neil Ferguson from Imperial College London, part of the government independent advisory panel SAGE, told Radio 4′s Today programme that the UK has already gone through the wave Europe is experiencing, and so the population has greater immunity compared to Germany and Austria.

Will Christmas be cancelled?

As Christmas 2020 was effectively cancelled just six days before December 25, this is a major concern for many families this year.

Health secretary Sajid Javid said in October: “With winter ahead, we cannot blow it now.

“Although vaccinations are our primary form of defence, there are many more things we can all do to help contain the spread of this virus, like meeting outdoors where it is possible.”

He added Christmas is possible “if we all play our part”.

Dr Mike Tildesley, part of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M) told Sky News, “the idea of a winter lockdown is a long way away” unless the NHS comes under severe pressure again.

What you can do to stay safe in winter

As the UK’s future with Covid remains difficult to predict, you can reduce your own Covid risk in the upcoming months through several simple measures.

Make sure you ventilate your home for at least 10 minutes every hour. This prevents Covid from building up indoors.

Get vaccinated if you haven’t already and make sure you accept your booster jab when you are called up by the NHS.

Get your flu jab as the annual virus is likely to affect people more this year following last year’s lockdown – catching the flu could then make you more susceptible to Covid.

Wear a mask in crowded places, both indoors and outdoors, and wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds when you can.

Work from home where possible and reduce the number of people you see, or try to see more people outdoors.

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These 6 Certified Quarantunes Are Still The Mood Boost We Need

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It’s official: music helped us get through the pandemic. In a new survey of more than 2,000 people, almost a quarter (23%) said live streaming and music had been the biggest support to their mental health through lockdown.

The poll, conducted by global music discovery service DICE and Populous, asked people about their relationship to music during the pandemic.

Knowing thousands of other people were also tuning in to live streams made lockdown a less lonely experience, respondents said, though few of us were actually listening to new music to fill the long days. Almost three-quarters (73%) said their lockdown listening focused on artists in their prime decades ago.

Music has been scientifically proven to evoke feelings of comfort, relief, and enjoyment, particularly when a track harks back to happier times – though if you’re up for discovering newer tunes, here’s why that’s good for you, too .

For those in need of a wellbeing boost, HuffPost UK team members have shared the songs that got us through the past year-and-a-half. Add them to your playlists, or check out more HuffPost UK recommendations on Spotify.

My Shot, from Hamilton

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“I’m a huge musical theatre fan so it wasn’t a surprise that the songs that helped me get through lockdown were from musical show Hamilton. I was obsessed with the whole soundtrack but the one song I kept on repeat during lockdown was My Shot. It’s a song about triumph and strength, which motivated me, but musically it sounds amazing.

“It’s a great song to cook or clean to and the raps are my favourite part. The show (which is available on Disney Plus) is quite long, so listening to the soundtrack is a way for me to enjoy the story without needing to watch it again.” – Habiba Katsha, Life reporter

Rain On Me by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande

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“Rain On Me came out in the early stages of lockdown, and I’ve had it on rotation pretty much ever since. This song was released at a time when the news cycle was especially bleak, with a sombre cloud hanging over everything, and it provided some escapism at a time we all really needed it with its anthemic chorus and empowering lyrics about overcoming difficult times. Plus, who doesn’t love a bit of camp provided by not one but two pop divas?

“I’ve been looking forward to hearing Rain On Me in a club ever since it was released, and even though I’m not quite ready for that yet, I know for certain it’s going to go off when I finally get there.” – Daniel Welsh, Entertainment editor

Motion by Khalid

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“For me, my go to feel-good, feel sad, feel pensive song is Motion by Khalid. It’s one of his lesser known songs but I am just so in love with his vocals, the lyrics, the beat, everything. I can’t decide if it’s a happy song or sad song. I listen to it during all sorts of emotions.

“One of the top lines of the song is ‘I’m in love with this moment’. I remember playing it on my earphones on a solo trip to Machu Pichu in Peru – I was just stood on top of the mountains and listened to it on repeat, I really was in love with the moment! My Spotify wrapped showed I was in his 0.5% of top listeners last year, and you can guess which song was on repeat! The song got me through the pandemic because it reminded me of happier moments.” – Faima Bakar, Life reporter

Holiday by Little Mix

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“It’s so hard to pick one song that got me through 2020 when making playlist after playlist was the only way I found to mark the endless weeks of lockdown – and cope with not seeing my partner, who reciprocated with his own. As to my internal radio, Dua Lipa and TSwizz featured heavily, and like Habiba, the Hamilton soundtrack ear-wormed from the moment I watched it on Disney+.

“But my song of last summer was without doubt Little Mix’s Holiday – landing in August just when I needed one. Infectious and sexy, never taking itself too seriously, it lifted my spirits like a plane ticket for the soul. And that video, with Jesy, Leigh-Anne, Jade and Perrie as beautifully kitsch mermaids: ’We’re just dancing the night away / Boy, you feel like a holiday.′ In the staycation age, it’s a lesson in finding wanderlust closer to home.” – Nancy Groves, head of Life

Skankin’ Sweet by Chronixx

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“As a proud Jamaican who is overly obsessed with the culture, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t pay homage to the song that helped me get through my loneliest times: Skankin’ Sweet by Chronixx. There is something about a reggae beat that really brings joy and tranquillity into my life, so I often played it in the mornings to give me that extra motivation to conquer the day.

“The song represents love, unity and having a moment to put your worries aside and just focus on being one with the universe, all true values that really helped me overcome my struggles through the pandemic.” – Maya Franklyn, Intern

Together Again by Janet Jackson

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“I was six years old when Janet Jackson released Together Again and I have an almost visceral reaction to that dreamy opening harp; I feel warm, gooey, a little-more care-free, and like an excited kid again, waiting for the upbeat disco drop. My love affair with this tune has already spanned decades, so it’s perhaps no wonder I listened to it on repeat during the first lockdown, when we were all craving old comforts.

“Ignorantly, I’ve always belted out the lyrics without considering their meaning – I guess that’s what happens when you learn a tune as a kid. In a moment of pandemic boredom, I googled the backstory and learned that Janet wrote the song in memory of a friend who died from AIDS. At a time when death and sadness was dominating headlines, it only made it feel more pertinent.” – Rachel Moss, Life editor

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