9th October 2020 o19 HIGHLIGHTS • Worldwide cases of COVID-19 are now at 36,761,333 with deaths numbering 1,066,956 according to Worldometer. 27,673,862 people have so far recovered from the virus. • Official figures show that three times as many people have died from COVID-19 than from flu and pneumonia in England and Wales this year. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also revealed that COVID-19 has proven deadlier than any flu and pneumonia season dating back to 1959 when ONS records began. • United States President Donald Trump returned to the White House on Wednesday 7th October, less than a week after testing positive for coronavirus. The President’s doctors have cleared him to resume public events from Saturday 10th October, with Mr Trump himself saying he feels “better than [he] did 20 years ago.” However, there are fears that the President is downplaying the severity of his illness as doctors revealed he was treated with a strong steroid and an experimental “antibody cocktail” which would not normally be used for milder cases. • Almost 16,000 positive COVID-19 test results went unreported in the UK last weekend due to a technical glitch. The error meant that those who tested positive were notified of their result, but people they had been in contact with were unable to be traced. The error has since been rectified and the missing records added to the Public Health England daily totals for the 3rd and 4th October and tracers are working through the contacts of the positive cases. • Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced new lockdown restrictions effective from this evening at 18:00. Pubs and restaurants in the central belt of Scotland will all be required to close until at least 25th October. Restrictions will also be in place across the rest of the country, with no alcohol allowed to be served indoors and reduced opening hours for bars. • Cases continue to increase in Spain, where approximately 10,000 new cases are being reported daily. New restrictions have been implemented over the past week to stop the spread of the disease, which includes a partial lockdown in Madrid. • South Africa has officially reopened for travellers after its airports and borders were closed for six months due to the pandemic. However, travellers will not be admitted from countries deemed high-risk. Visitors from all nations on the African continent are now allowed to enter the country, as are travellers from countries with lower rates of infection than South Africa, such as Canada, China, and Germany. Over 50 countries including the UK and US remain on a “red list” meaning no tourists can enter the country except from certain business travellers with essential skills. • The border conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues as the defence ministry of the Nagorno- Karabakh enclave reported another 26 deaths among its military, pushing the total to 376 since the conflict erupted on 27th September. Senior officials on both sides of the conflict have been invited to Moscow for truce talks on neutral ground. Russia’s foreign ministry confirmed that the officials have agreed to the talks and preparations are underway. 2 WORLD NEWS -19/RAS/9th October 2020 COVID-19 TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES TOTAL DEATHS PATIENTS RECOVERED 36,761,333 1,066,956 27,673,862 09.10.2020 - Worldometer COVID-19 – UK • The total confirmed UK COVID-19 cases as of 8th October is 561,815 with 42,202 deaths according to GOV.UK. As of 8th October the European for Disease Prevention and Control have reported the 14-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 for the UK to be 201.9. • A technical error last weekend meant that almost 16,000 cases of coronavirus went unreported, delaying efforts to trace close contacts of those infected. Public Health England said that 15,841 cases between 25th September and 2nd October were accidentally omitted from the UK’s daily case figures. The glitch has since been resolved, and the missing cases were added onto Saturday and Sunday’s figures of 12,872 and 22,961 respectively. • Official figures show that three times as many people have died from COVID-19 than from flu and pneumonia in England and Wales this year. • Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to outline the next stage of the Job Support Scheme later today, Friday 9th October. The new financial support scheme is expected to be offered over a six-month period with a review at the three-month point. The Job Support Scheme will replace the furlough scheme from 1st November and will allow eligible employees to work one-third of their regular hours and receive three quarters of their normal salaries for six months. • Most of Scotland will see a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol indoors in bars and restaurants from Friday 9th October for at least 2 weeks, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Wednesday 7th October. Indoor hospitality venues and unlicensed cafes et cetera can operate until 18:00. Further localised restrictions are in place with Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley areas closed for both indoor and outdoor operations. Those in the central belt of Scotland have also been asked to avoid public transport unless absolutely necessary and nationally, shops have been asked to return to the earlier measures they took at the beginning of lockdown namely, 2 metre distancing and one-way systems. • Prime Minister Boris Johnson could announce new lockdown measures as early as Monday 12th October in areas where COVID-19 has soared. Manchester, Liverpool, and Newcastle are expected to be restricted further and tighter restrictions in London could be implemented in the coming weeks as the capital sees cases continue to rise with more than 6,200 recorded in the last week. The 3-tier system for local lockdowns is still being discussed. • The UK economy expanded in August, showing a 2.1% growth boosted by the government’s Eat Out to Help Out discount scheme. However, despite being the fourth consecutive month of growth, 2.1% is still below expectations, and is 9.2% smaller than it was prior to the pandemic. • More than 450 heritage organisations across England are set to receive the first wave of a £1.57 billion government recovery fund to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. The Culture Recovery Fund 3 WORLD NEWS -19/RAS/9th October 2020 will provide a lifeline for sites such as Gloucester Cathedral, the Severn Valley Railway, and Blackpool’s Winter Gardens. The grant will allow many essential conservation projects to resume after being put on hold as visitor attractions closed during lockdown. • The local lockdown in Caerphilly, Wales, is to be extended for at least another week due to a spike in cases. Figures from Public Health Wales show 60.2 cases per 100,000 people in the region over the past week. • A month after Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised a force of COVID-secure marshals to ensure social distancing rules in towns and cities, many cities facing lockdown report no marshals have been recruited. Manchester, Leeds, and Nottingham city councils say they have been unable to recruit for the positions due to lack of funding and guidance from the government. Just four councils among the top 100 hit with COVID-19 have successfully filled the positions with others preferring to rely their own resources within the police and other partnerships. • In Wales, Chief Medical Officer Dr Frank Atheron announced on Thursday 8th October 24 people had died of COVID-19 after an outbreak at the Royal Glamorgan hospital in Rhondda Cyon Taf. Other hospitals are being closely monitored after tracing back to the same outbreak. COVID-19- OTHER COUNTRIES Brazil Brazil has been the epicentre of the pandemic in Latin America, although, over the last ten weeks, authorities reported a decrease in the number of fatalities in most states. This includes São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Bahia. Despite the decrease in deaths, new infections continue to rise. The country remains just behind India and the United States in terms of total confirmed cases. China There is hope that the annual Asian Golden Week holiday, which is dubbed "the world's largest human migration" as it usually sees millions of Chinese tourists travelling internationally, will boost the country’s economy. China, alongside South Korea and Japan, is encouraging domestic travel to help boost the absence of foreign travellers and help keep their tourism industries afloat. In Singapore, domestic tourism is practically impossible, while native Singaporeans are more likely to stay home and spend it in the city, the state’s tourism industry has been practically destroyed. As a result, the government has introduced a S$230m relief bill for the industry. France Infections to date have exceeded 580,000 with more than 1,200 clusters identified across the country. Authorities in Paris are set to introduce new measures as cases continue to rise. On 2nd October, Minister of Health Olivier Véran stated that “since yesterday, in the last 24 hours, Paris has passed the threshold that would put it in the maximum alert category.” Hospitals throughout the country have reported an increase in intensive care admissions. The Conseil Scientifique, the government advisory body, called for urgent action as they forecast 3,800-12,400 extra deaths related to COVID-19 by 1st November. Despite this, they noted that the situation is less concerning than in March. Moreover, the Assemblée Nationale, voted the extension of the bill that allows the government to enforce COVID-19 measures at least until March 2021.