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The COVID Diaries – 253 1st January

The government’s disastrous handling of schools in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic continues, lurching from one crisis to another.  Education secretary Gavin Williamson has now made another humiliating U-turn and announced that all primary schools in London will stay closed at the start of spring term.

Only a few days ago Williamson announced that just a select number of primary schools would remain closed after the Christmas holidays. The latest change of policy follows an emergency meeting of the Cabinet Office.

The COVID Diaries – 252 30th December

Over three-quarters of the population in England will be in tier 4 from tomorrow, told to “stay at home” while the reopening of schools has also been delayed as the government battles to contain the new variant of coronavirus.

The pressure on schools is unsustainable, with continuing changes of instruction and what appears to be an almost impossible expectation that school staff will operate a testing programme for pupils while also arranging both in school and at home learning.

The COVID Diaries – 251 29th December

The Covid-19 virus is continuing to spread at an alarming rate, with over 53,000 new infections reported in the last 24 hours

Pressure is growing on the government to impose even greater restrictions and potentially another lockdown. Reports suggest the NHS is now trying to cope with unprecedented demand.

Meanwhile secondary schools are still being told to prepare for mass testing of pupils to be undertaken by already overstretched staff while at the same times there are hints the return to school may be delayed.

The COVID Diaries 250 – 28th December

With scientists advising the government that it will be impossible to get the ‘R’ number below 1 if schools go back as planned in January, the government appears to be divided as to when pupils will return

In secondary schools, only examination year groups and children of keyworkes/vulnerable children are due to go back in England on 4th January while new testing arangements are put in place. However, schools are in the dark as to the detail of these arrangemens and how they will be able to staff them.

The COVID Diaries – 249 26th December

So, the deal has been done. The UK has tariff free trade with the European Union

If we were a country that had no close relationship with Europe, and had decided try and negotiate a trade deal, we would rightly be delighted with Boris Johnson’s “Christmas present” to the nation.

But that is not the starting point for what has been achieved. This is probably the first trade agreement that provides worse trading arrangements than those it replaces.

It’s better than no deal and after four and a half years of turmoil we have saved something from the wreckage, but it is hardly a cause for celebration.

On that note, Happy Christmas!

The COVID Diaries – 248 23rd December

Are the United Kingdom and the European Union about to agree a post-Brexit trade and security treaty ? Downing Street says a deal is within “touching distance”.

Boris Johnson is expected to complete the deal following a final call the European commission president Ursula von der Leyen, although there still seem to be on-going arguments about some of the details.

The COVID Diaries – 247 22nd December

In the final throws of his presidency, Donal Trump is reportedly lashing out at once close allies, including rumours that he is turning against vice-president Mike Pence, accusing him of “backing away” from his election fight.

Meanwhile president-elect Joe Biden has given a warning about the Covid-19 pandemic that even with the beginning of vaccinations, there were still dark days ahead.

Biden also attacked Trump for the failing to deal with a massive Russia-linked cyber-attack on the US federal government.

The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has told congressional leadership that she has a back-up plan if Trump refuses to leave office: she will “pull him out of there by his hair”.

The COVID Diaries – 246 21st December

Rumours are circulating of even greater restrictions to those already imposed through the new tier 4 in London and the South-east.  Another national lockdown may happen within days and more than 40 countries have banned arrivals from the United Kingdom as they try to keep out a new fast-spreading variant of coronavirus.

The mutation of the Covid-19 virus is believed to spread between people with up to 70% greater efficiency than previous strains. It has now been detected across the UK, and Johnson’s chief scientific adviser said stronger curbs were likely.

The COVID Diaries – 245 20th December

The Independent has reported:

“Eurotunnel has stopped Europe-bound services from its UK terminal and Dover’s ferry port has shut to traffic leaving the country amid fears that a new, highly transmissible strain of Covid-19 may spread abroad.

“France, Germany, Ireland and others imposed bans on travellers from the UK on Sunday as Britain recorded its highest ever single-day rise in coronavirus infections, with 35,928 new cases.

“It came a day after Boris Johnson after abandoned the five-day relaxation of measures planned for the Christmas period and issued “stay at home” orders for areas that fall under the new tier 4 restrictions.”

The COVID Diaries – 244 19th December

In a dramatic policy U-turn, Christmas for millions of people has effectively been cancelled as Boris Johnson placed London and significant parts of south eastern England under new lockdown measures to try and curb a highly infectious new strain of the Covid-19 virus.

The new “tier 4” restrictions mean people will be required to stay at home and will not be able to mix with other households at all over Christmas.

Across the rest of the country, the previous easing of restrictions to enable plans for five-day family Christmas bubbles of up to three households will now only apply to Christmas day.