British supermarkets and suppliers warned Thursday of possible food shortages due to staff self-isolating, as rising coronavirus cases threaten chaos after the government controversially eased all restrictions earlier this week.

English businesses are buckling&nbsp;under COVID-19 isolation demands due to a 'pingdemic' caused by a&nbsp;contact tracing app.

The app&nbsp;told hundreds of thousands of employees working in&nbsp;car plants, railways, supermarkets, and pubs to isolate, wrecking the recovery and pushing supply chains to the brink of collapse.

Cases of COVID-19 in Britain hit around 50,000 a day on some days last week.

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Alerts, or "pings", sent out by the official app telling anyone identified as a contact of someone with the disease to self-isolate for 10 days have caused huge disruption in schools, businesses and the healthcare system.

The crisis, which comes just as the government lifts nearly all restrictions in England to help drive an economic recovery, has been dubbed the "Pingdemic".

Under pressure, the government said later on Monday it would allow workers in critical roles, such as air traffic controllers and train signallers, to carry on working despite being "pinged" if they were fully vaccinated.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, finance minister Rishi Sunak and health minister Sajid Javid are all isolating after Javid tested positive. Some pubs have shut, supply chains are teetering and the car breakdown service AA warned of longer response times at call centres.

Carmaker Stellantis said its Vauxhall van factory in Luton would move from three shifts to two shifts for the duration of this week, and Nissan adjusted production in some areas of its Sunderland plant to counter lower staffing numbers.

"The&nbsp;pingdemic is here and businesses need urgent change," Richard Walker, the managing director of supermarket chain Iceland, said on Twitter.

Mixed signals

But the delay in implementing the new regime has been criticised, with Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, warning smaller firms could be forced to close before then.

"There will be many smaller businesses where if they only have one or two staff and they need to self-isolate, then that's them needing to close their doors completely," she told the BBC.

Meanwhile, the government has been criticised for compounding the crisis after providing mixed messages on the need to stay home if contacted by the tracer teams.&nbsp;

While some ministers have insisted people must isolate if advised, two business ministers this week noted there is actually no legal requirement to isolate if they are pinged by the NHS app.

Only those contacted by the separately run NHS Test and Trace service must stay at home for 10 days by law.

The public already appeared increasingly sceptical of the isolation rules following the easing of restrictions, with reports many people are deleting the app or ignoring advice.

A poll on Monday reported half of Britons said they would be unlikely to self-isolate if they had a negative rapid test after coming into contact with someone with coronavirus.

(With inputs from agencies)

British supermarkets and suppliers warned Thursday of possible food shortages due to staff self-isolating, as rising coronavirus cases threaten chaos after the government controversially eased all restrictions earlier this week.

British supermarkets and suppliers warned Thursday of possible food shortages due to staff self-isolating, as rising coronavirus cases threaten chaos after the government controversially eased all restrictions earlier this week. English businesses are buckling under COVID-19 isolation demands due to a 'pingdemic' caused by a contact tracing app. The app told hundreds of thousands of employees working in car plants, railways, supermarkets, and pubs to isolate, wrecking the recovery and pushing supply chains to the brink of collapse. Cases of COVID-19 in Britain hit around 50,000 a day on some days last week. Alerts, or "pings", sent out by the official app telling anyone identified as a contact of someone with the disease to self-isolate for 10 days have caused huge disruption in schools, businesses and the healthcare system. The crisis, which comes just as the government lifts nearly all restrictions in England to help drive an economic recovery, has been dubbed the "Pingdemic". Under pressure, the government said later on Monday it would allow workers in critical roles, such as air traffic controllers and train signallers, to carry on working despite being "pinged" if they were fully vaccinated. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, finance minister Rishi Sunak and health minister Sajid Javid are all isolating after Javid tested positive. Some pubs have shut, supply chains are teetering and the car breakdown service AA warned of longer response times at call centres. Carmaker Stellantis said its Vauxhall van factory in Luton would move from three shifts to two shifts for the duration of this week, and Nissan adjusted production in some areas of its Sunderland plant to counter lower staffing numbers. "The pingdemic is here and businesses need urgent change," Richard Walker, the managing director of supermarket chain Iceland, said on Twitter. Mixed signals But the delay in implementing the new regime has been criticised, with Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, warning smaller firms could be forced to close before then. "There will be many smaller businesses where if they only have one or two staff and they need to self-isolate, then that's them needing to close their doors completely," she told the BBC. Meanwhile, the government has been criticised for compounding the crisis after providing mixed messages on the need to stay home if contacted by the tracer teams. While some ministers have insisted people must isolate if advised, two business ministers this week noted there is actually no legal requirement to isolate if they are pinged by the NHS app. Only those contacted by the separately run NHS Test and Trace service must stay at home for 10 days by law. The public already appeared increasingly sceptical of the isolation rules following the easing of restrictions, with reports many people are deleting the app or ignoring advice. A poll on Monday reported half of Britons said they would be unlikely to self-isolate if they had a negative rapid test after coming into contact with someone with coronavirus. (With inputs from agencies)

All you need to know about 'pingdemic' gripping Britain

Britain is increasingly confident that vaccines work against the coronavirus variant first found in India, Prime Minister&nbsp;Boris&nbsp;Johnson&nbsp;said on Wednesday, with a leading epidemiologist saying it may be spreading less quickly than at first feared.

Johnson&nbsp;has warned that the emergence of the B.1.617.2 variant might derail his plans to lift England's lockdown fully on June 21, but on Wednesday he said the latest data had been encouraging.

"We have increasing confidence vaccines are effective against all variants, including the Indian variant," he told parliament.

Johnson&nbsp;last week said the extent to which the variant could disrupt the planned exit from lockdown would depend on how much more transmissible it was.

Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London, said there was a "glimmer of hope" from the latest data that the transmissibility of the variant might be lower than first feared.

"The magnitude of that advantage seems to have dropped a little bit with the most recent data," he told BBC radio, adding more data was needed.

He said that while there was a "good deal of confidence" that vaccines would continue to protect against severe disease, the variant might lead to reduced vaccine efficacy against infection and transmission.

Ferguson said the initial rapid growth of B.1.617.2 had been among people who had travelled and who had a higher chance of living in multi-generational households or in deprived areas, and the ease of transmission might not be replicated in other settings.

Graham Medley, a professor of disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said that while the variant was growing quickly in some places, "we haven't yet seen it take off and grow rapidly everywhere else".

"One of the key things we'll be looking for in the coming weeks will be: how far does it spread outside of those areas," he told Reuters.

&nbsp;

Britain is increasingly confident that vaccines work against the coronavirus variant first found in India, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday, with a leading epidemiologist saying it may be spreading less quickly than at first feared.

Britain is increasingly confident that vaccines work against the coronavirus variant first found in India, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday, with a leading epidemiologist saying it may be spreading less quickly than at first feared. Johnson has warned that the emergence of the B.1.617.2 variant might derail his plans to lift England's lockdown fully on June 21, but on Wednesday he said the latest data had been encouraging. "We have increasing confidence vaccines are effective against all variants, including the Indian variant," he told parliament. Johnson last week said the extent to which the variant could disrupt the planned exit from lockdown would depend on how much more transmissible it was. Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London, said there was a "glimmer of hope" from the latest data that the transmissibility of the variant might be lower than first feared. "The magnitude of that advantage seems to have dropped a little bit with the most recent data," he told BBC radio, adding more data was needed. He said that while there was a "good deal of confidence" that vaccines would continue to protect against severe disease, the variant might lead to reduced vaccine efficacy against infection and transmission. Ferguson said the initial rapid growth of B.1.617.2 had been among people who had travelled and who had a higher chance of living in multi-generational households or in deprived areas, and the ease of transmission might not be replicated in other settings. Graham Medley, a professor of disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said that while the variant was growing quickly in some places, "we haven't yet seen it take off and grow rapidly everywhere else". "One of the key things we'll be looking for in the coming weeks will be: how far does it spread outside of those areas," he told Reuters.

UK increasingly confident that vaccines work against variant first detected in India, says Boris Johnson

In China it was fengcheng. In Spain it was el confinamiento. In France it was le confinement. In Britain it was known as lockdown, plain and simple — but it had the distinction of being one of the longest and most stringent in the world.

On Monday, that finally began drawing to an end.

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/uk-covid-variant-doesnt-lead-to-severe-illness-death-the-lancet-377400/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

After months of coronavirus restrictions that encroached on almost every aspect of daily life, the English celebrated a hopeful new chapter, many of them in what seemed the most fitting way possible: with a pint at a pub.

“It’s like being out of prison,” said Kate Asani, who was sitting at a small table with two friends in the back garden of the Carlton Tavern in the Kilburn area of London, where they basked in one another’s company as much as in the sunshine.

For people across Europe, struggling with yet another wave of the pandemic and demoralized by a vaccine rollout that, outside Britain, has been deeply troubled, this is hardly a time to rejoice.

And Britons — who have lost more than 150,000 people to the pandemic — know better than anyone that they are facing a wily adversary, a shape-shifter of a virus that spins off variants that can threaten medical advances with a few mutations.

But just past the stroke of midnight Monday, a few select establishments in England served their first drinks since being forced to close in December and January, and more than a year after the first of three national lockdowns was imposed to limit the spread of the virus.

Later in the morning, thousands of gyms, salons and retail stores opened their doors for the first time in months, bringing a frisson of life to streets long frozen in a state of suspended animation. Friends reunited, and families shared a meal at outdoor cafes for the first time in months.

The weather may have been chilly — there were even some snow flurries — and pubs were limited to outdoor service. But the moment was embraced with an enthusiasm born of more than a year of on-and-off deprivation and uncertainty, one in which a once-unimaginable level of government decree became a way of life.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it “a major step forward in our road map to freedom.”

Monday marked the start of a phased reopening that is scheduled to culminate on June 21, when the government says it hopes to lift almost all restrictions in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are following separate but similar timetables, which means that some of the restrictions eased on Monday in England will remain in place a while longer in those places.

Lockdowns of one form or another have become so commonplace around the world that it can be hard to recall a time when they did not exist. The word began entering the popular lexicon in the weeks and months after the virus first emerged in China and authorities there moved aggressively to restrict the movement of its citizens.

Images from the ghostly streets of Wuhan riveted the world’s attention, and it soon became clear that the virus respected no national borders. But there was debate over whether Western democracies could — or should — resort to the extreme measures taken by Beijing.

As hospitals struggled to deal with a flood of patients and death tolls soared, the debate was overtaken by the undeniable reality that traditional methods of infectious disease control, like testing and contact tracing, had failed.

And so lockdowns became a way of life.

While no country matched China’s draconian measures, liberal democracies have been engaged in a yearlong effort to balance economic, political and public health concerns. Last spring, that meant about 4 billion people — half of humanity — living under some form of stay-at-home order.

Britain, which held out longer than many of its European neighbors, entered its first national lockdown on March 26, 2020.

Although it is difficult to compare lockdowns, researchers at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford have developed a system ranking their stringency. They found that Britain had spent 175 days at its “maximum stringency level.”

“In this sense, we can say that the U.K. is globally unique in spending the longest period of time at a very high level of stringency,” said Thomas Hale, an associate professor of global public policy at Oxford.

At the height of the epidemic in January, Britain was averaging almost 60,000 new coronavirus infections and more than 1,200 COVID-19 deaths each day. In the past week, the daily averages were about 2,500 cases and 36 fatalities.

On Monday, as Britons flocked to stores and restaurants, there was widespread hope that after so many false dawns, there will be no going back. The return of the pub only enhanced that optimism.

It is hard to find a year quite like the last one for one of Britain’s most cherished institutions. Through plagues and fires, wars and depressions, the nation’s pubs largely stayed open, and when they were first shut down last year, even the prime minister sounded shaken.

“I do accept that what we’re doing is extraordinary,” Johnson said in March last year. “We’re taking away the ancient, inalienable right of freeborn people of the United Kingdom to go to the pub.”

Days earlier, Johnson’s recommendation that the public voluntarily stay away from pubs and other social venues was not universally well received. His own father said: “Of course I’ll go to a pub if I need to go to a pub.”

It was not just pubs that suffered under lockdown. Retail stores, too, struggled to survive.

The flagship store of British retailer Topshop on Oxford Circus, once a destination for fashion-hungry young adults, permanently shut its doors after its parent company filed for bankruptcy last year. And plywood boards now cover the front of Debenhams, another retail chain that foundered during the pandemic.

The two companies crumbled within days of one another, as the country bounced from one lockdown to the next and the pandemic hastened the end of British high-street brands that were already teetering on the edge.

But now, those stores that have survived are hoping for a heyday, after the worst recession in decades.

Retailers hope that there will be a splurge in spending by people who have amassed a record amount of savings, nearly $250 billion according to government estimates, roughly 10% of Britain’s gross domestic product.

Plastered in big letters on the shop front of John Lewis, a British department store, there was an invitation coupled with a fingers-crossed prediction: “Come on in London, brighter days are coming.” 
&nbsp;

In China it was fengcheng. In Spain it was el confinamiento. In France it was le confinement. In Britain it was known as lockdown, plain and simple — but it had the distinction of being one of the longest and most stringent in the world.

In China it was fengcheng. In Spain it was el confinamiento. In France it was le confinement. In Britain it was known as lockdown, plain and simple — but it had the distinction of being one of the longest and most stringent in the world. On Monday, that finally began drawing to an end. Watch | After months of coronavirus restrictions that encroached on almost every aspect of daily life, the English celebrated a hopeful new chapter, many of them in what seemed the most fitting way possible: with a pint at a pub. “It’s like being out of prison,” said Kate Asani, who was sitting at a small table with two friends in the back garden of the Carlton Tavern in the Kilburn area of London, where they basked in one another’s company as much as in the sunshine. For people across Europe, struggling with yet another wave of the pandemic and demoralized by a vaccine rollout that, outside Britain, has been deeply troubled, this is hardly a time to rejoice. And Britons — who have lost more than 150,000 people to the pandemic — know better than anyone that they are facing a wily adversary, a shape-shifter of a virus that spins off variants that can threaten medical advances with a few mutations. But just past the stroke of midnight Monday, a few select establishments in England served their first drinks since being forced to close in December and January, and more than a year after the first of three national lockdowns was imposed to limit the spread of the virus. Later in the morning, thousands of gyms, salons and retail stores opened their doors for the first time in months, bringing a frisson of life to streets long frozen in a state of suspended animation. Friends reunited, and families shared a meal at outdoor cafes for the first time in months. The weather may have been chilly — there were even some snow flurries — and pubs were limited to outdoor service. But the moment was embraced with an enthusiasm born of more than a year of on-and-off deprivation and uncertainty, one in which a once-unimaginable level of government decree became a way of life. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it “a major step forward in our road map to freedom.” Monday marked the start of a phased reopening that is scheduled to culminate on June 21, when the government says it hopes to lift almost all restrictions in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are following separate but similar timetables, which means that some of the restrictions eased on Monday in England will remain in place a while longer in those places. Lockdowns of one form or another have become so commonplace around the world that it can be hard to recall a time when they did not exist. The word began entering the popular lexicon in the weeks and months after the virus first emerged in China and authorities there moved aggressively to restrict the movement of its citizens. Images from the ghostly streets of Wuhan riveted the world’s attention, and it soon became clear that the virus respected no national borders. But there was debate over whether Western democracies could — or should — resort to the extreme measures taken by Beijing. As hospitals struggled to deal with a flood of patients and death tolls soared, the debate was overtaken by the undeniable reality that traditional methods of infectious disease control, like testing and contact tracing, had failed. And so lockdowns became a way of life. While no country matched China’s draconian measures, liberal democracies have been engaged in a yearlong effort to balance economic, political and public health concerns. Last spring, that meant about 4 billion people — half of humanity — living under some form of stay-at-home order. Britain, which held out longer than many of its European neighbors, entered its first national lockdown on March 26, 2020. Although it is difficult to compare lockdowns, researchers at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford have developed a system ranking their stringency. They found that Britain had spent 175 days at its “maximum stringency level.” “In this sense, we can say that the U.K. is globally unique in spending the longest period of time at a very high level of stringency,” said Thomas Hale, an associate professor of global public policy at Oxford. At the height of the epidemic in January, Britain was averaging almost 60,000 new coronavirus infections and more than 1,200 COVID-19 deaths each day. In the past week, the daily averages were about 2,500 cases and 36 fatalities. On Monday, as Britons flocked to stores and restaurants, there was widespread hope that after so many false dawns, there will be no going back. The return of the pub only enhanced that optimism. It is hard to find a year quite like the last one for one of Britain’s most cherished institutions. Through plagues and fires, wars and depressions, the nation’s pubs largely stayed open, and when they were first shut down last year, even the prime minister sounded shaken. “I do accept that what we’re doing is extraordinary,” Johnson said in March last year. “We’re taking away the ancient, inalienable right of freeborn people of the United Kingdom to go to the pub.” Days earlier, Johnson’s recommendation that the public voluntarily stay away from pubs and other social venues was not universally well received. His own father said: “Of course I’ll go to a pub if I need to go to a pub.” It was not just pubs that suffered under lockdown. Retail stores, too, struggled to survive. The flagship store of British retailer Topshop on Oxford Circus, once a destination for fashion-hungry young adults, permanently shut its doors after its parent company filed for bankruptcy last year. And plywood boards now cover the front of Debenhams, another retail chain that foundered during the pandemic. The two companies crumbled within days of one another, as the country bounced from one lockdown to the next and the pandemic hastened the end of British high-street brands that were already teetering on the edge. But now, those stores that have survived are hoping for a heyday, after the worst recession in decades. Retailers hope that there will be a splurge in spending by people who have amassed a record amount of savings, nearly $250 billion according to government estimates, roughly 10% of Britain’s gross domestic product. Plastered in big letters on the shop front of John Lewis, a British department store, there was an invitation coupled with a fingers-crossed prediction: “Come on in London, brighter days are coming.”

Britain rejoices and asks: Are lockdowns finally finished?

Pints and Primark: Britons mark lockdown easing with a sup and a shop

Prime Minister&nbsp;Boris&nbsp;Johnson said on Wednesday that capitalism and greed gave Britain its success in vaccinating its population,&nbsp;a remark that could rile up Brussels at a time when Britain faces an EU threat to block vaccine imports.

"The reason we have the vaccine success is because of capitalism, because of greed my friends," The Sun newspaper quoted&nbsp;Johnson&nbsp;as telling Conservative lawmakers on a Zoom meeting on Tuesday evening.

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Johnson&nbsp;then tried to row back and said: "Actually I regret saying it" and asked lawmakers repeatedly to "forget I said that".

Britain has so far mounted the fastest COVID-19 vaccine programme of any big country. But it now finds its programme threatened by the EU, which has been far slower in rolling out vaccines and faces a third wave of infections.

The European Commission is expected on Wednesday to extend powers to block exports, a move that could hit supply of doses bound for Britain.&nbsp;Johnson's remarks come after a week in which British ministers have tried to calm the row.

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Downing Street declined to comment on&nbsp;Johnson's remarks when contacted by Reuters, but unidentified sources gave the BBC a bizarre array of explanations.

The greed comment, according to the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg, was apparently a joke about one of his cabinet colleagues, Chief Whip Mark Spencer, who was gobbling a cheese and pickle sandwich while the prime minister spoke.

Johnson, Home Secretary Priti Patel said, was talking about the success of pharmaceutical companies in developing a vaccine shot in record time.

"Clearly the prime minister was actually referring to the work that has taken place with pharmaceutical companies and how we have led the way really in this vaccine development," said Patel, who was not in the meeting.

Britain was one of several countries that developed a COVID-19 vaccine shot in record time: the shot developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca was approved for use on Dec. 30 by the British medicines regulator.

The British government helped fund the research, and AstraZeneca has promised to market it on a not-for-profit basis.

Other vaccines around the world have been developed with state funding, from Communist China and former communist Russia to the capitalist United States.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that capitalism and greed gave Britain its success in vaccinating its population, a remark that could rile up Brussels at a time when Britain faces an EU threat to block vaccine imports.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that capitalism and greed gave Britain its success in vaccinating its population, a remark that could rile up Brussels at a time when Britain faces an EU threat to block vaccine imports. "The reason we have the vaccine success is because of capitalism, because of greed my friends," The Sun newspaper quoted Johnson as telling Conservative lawmakers on a Zoom meeting on Tuesday evening. Johnson then tried to row back and said: "Actually I regret saying it" and asked lawmakers repeatedly to "forget I said that". Britain has so far mounted the fastest COVID-19 vaccine programme of any big country. But it now finds its programme threatened by the EU, which has been far slower in rolling out vaccines and faces a third wave of infections. The European Commission is expected on Wednesday to extend powers to block exports, a move that could hit supply of doses bound for Britain. Johnson's remarks come after a week in which British ministers have tried to calm the row. Downing Street declined to comment on Johnson's remarks when contacted by Reuters, but unidentified sources gave the BBC a bizarre array of explanations. The greed comment, according to the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg, was apparently a joke about one of his cabinet colleagues, Chief Whip Mark Spencer, who was gobbling a cheese and pickle sandwich while the prime minister spoke. Johnson, Home Secretary Priti Patel said, was talking about the success of pharmaceutical companies in developing a vaccine shot in record time. "Clearly the prime minister was actually referring to the work that has taken place with pharmaceutical companies and how we have led the way really in this vaccine development," said Patel, who was not in the meeting. Britain was one of several countries that developed a COVID-19 vaccine shot in record time: the shot developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca was approved for use on Dec. 30 by the British medicines regulator. The British government helped fund the research, and AstraZeneca has promised to market it on a not-for-profit basis. Other vaccines around the world have been developed with state funding, from Communist China and former communist Russia to the capitalist United States.

Boris Johnson says capitalism, greed gave Britain its vaccine success

Health officials in Britain have identified six cases of a highly contagious coronavirus strain first identified in the Brazilian city of Manaus, including one in a person who has not been traced.

Three of the cases of the variant are in Scotland and two in southwest England. The sixth individual has not been identified because they did not correctly fill in a form with their contact details. Public Health England said it was working to find the person and is conducting local mass testing to see whether the variant has spread in the community

"If you've had a test on the 12th or 13th of February, (and) haven't had your results back, please get in touch," vaccination minister Nadhim Zahawi told Times Radio. "We are working with the postal system to try and locate them."

The P.1 variant includes mutations similar to those found in a variant first detected in South Africa known as B.1.351, which has raised similar concerns.

Adam Finn, a member of the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, told the BBC: "The evidence we have suggests that certainly the South African variant and potentially this&nbsp;Brazilian variant, which is somewhat similar - the vaccines we have at the moment are less effective at reducing at least mild disease and possibly transmission.

"We are optimistic that the vaccines will continue to prevent severe disease, but the evidence for that is still fairly limited."

One of the cases in the household in South Gloucestershire had flown from Sao Paulo in&nbsp;Brazil&nbsp;via Zurich to London, arriving on February&nbsp;10. Public health officials said they were following up with all passengers.

All three of the Scottish cases were identified as people who had flown from&nbsp;Brazil&nbsp;to Aberdeen via Paris and London who self-isolated for the required period of 10 days.

By Sunday, over 20 million people in Britain had been given a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine - just over 30 per cent&nbsp;of the population, while around 800,000 had had a second dose.

Manufacturers are working on measures to adapt their vaccines to mutations of the virus.

Scientists say the variant is more transmissible and may be more resistant to existing vaccines than the original virus, and may be able to infect people who have previously had COVID-19.

Direct flights from Brazil to the UK have been halted, but the newly identified cases have been linked to people who came to the UK from Brazil through other European cities in early February.

The arrivals came days before the UK imposed a 10-day hotel quarantine on people arriving from high-risk countries, including Brazil.

Health officials in Britain have identified six cases of a highly contagious coronavirus strain first identified in the Brazilian city of Manaus, including one in a person who has not been traced.

Health officials in Britain have identified six cases of a highly contagious coronavirus strain first identified in the Brazilian city of Manaus, including one in a person who has not been traced. Three of the cases of the variant are in Scotland and two in southwest England. The sixth individual has not been identified because they did not correctly fill in a form with their contact details. Public Health England said it was working to find the person and is conducting local mass testing to see whether the variant has spread in the community "If you've had a test on the 12th or 13th of February, (and) haven't had your results back, please get in touch," vaccination minister Nadhim Zahawi told Times Radio. "We are working with the postal system to try and locate them." The P.1 variant includes mutations similar to those found in a variant first detected in South Africa known as B.1.351, which has raised similar concerns. Adam Finn, a member of the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, told the BBC: "The evidence we have suggests that certainly the South African variant and potentially this Brazilian variant, which is somewhat similar - the vaccines we have at the moment are less effective at reducing at least mild disease and possibly transmission. "We are optimistic that the vaccines will continue to prevent severe disease, but the evidence for that is still fairly limited." One of the cases in the household in South Gloucestershire had flown from Sao Paulo in Brazil via Zurich to London, arriving on February 10. Public health officials said they were following up with all passengers. All three of the Scottish cases were identified as people who had flown from Brazil to Aberdeen via Paris and London who self-isolated for the required period of 10 days. By Sunday, over 20 million people in Britain had been given a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine - just over 30 per cent of the population, while around 800,000 had had a second dose. Manufacturers are working on measures to adapt their vaccines to mutations of the virus. Scientists say the variant is more transmissible and may be more resistant to existing vaccines than the original virus, and may be able to infect people who have previously had COVID-19. Direct flights from Brazil to the UK have been halted, but the newly identified cases have been linked to people who came to the UK from Brazil through other European cities in early February. The arrivals came days before the UK imposed a 10-day hotel quarantine on people arriving from high-risk countries, including Brazil.

UK detects six cases of highly contagious Brazilian coronavirus variant

The discovery of two new <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus</a>&nbsp;variants in the UK has led to authorities reclassifying the strains as concerns across the country.&nbsp;

The two new mutations of coronavirus found in Bristol and Liverpool have been reclassified as "variant of concern" and "variant under investigation" respectively by the British government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) on Tuesday.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

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Public Health England has reported at least 55 cases of the Liverpool mutation and 14 cases of the Bristol variant, reports The Sun.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dont-let-long-covid-fall-through-the-cracks-who-warns-362512">Don't let Long Covid 'fall through the cracks', WHO warns</a>

Both the variants contain E484K mutation that has been located in the South African and Brazilian variants and can make the Covid-19 vaccine ineffective.&nbsp;

Last week, mass testing was announced in Liverpool and Bristol where the cases of South African variant have risen.&nbsp;

The British government is expected to confirm that travellers arriving in the UK from abroad will have to undergo two coronavirus tests while in quarantine.&nbsp;

"Enhancing our testing regime to cover all arrivals while they isolate will provide a further level of protection and enable us to better track any new cases which might be brought into the country, and give us even more opportunities to detect new variants," a spokesman was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing severe criticism over laxity to test international flyers that have led to a rise in cases of various variants identified abroad.&nbsp;

Under new lockdown rules, travellers coming from 33 countries, including South Africa and all South American nations are banned from entering the UK.&nbsp;

The discovery of two new coronavirus variants in the UK has led to authorities reclassifying the strains as concerns across the country. The two new mutations of coronavirus found in Bristol and Liverpool have been reclassified as "variant of concern" and "variant under investigation" respectively by the British government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) on Tuesday.

The discovery of two new coronavirus variants in the UK has led to authorities reclassifying the strains as concerns across the country. The two new mutations of coronavirus found in Bristol and Liverpool have been reclassified as "variant of concern" and "variant under investigation" respectively by the British government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) on Tuesday. Watch | Public Health England has reported at least 55 cases of the Liverpool mutation and 14 cases of the Bristol variant, reports The Sun. Also read | Don't let Long Covid 'fall through the cracks', WHO warns Both the variants contain E484K mutation that has been located in the South African and Brazilian variants and can make the Covid-19 vaccine ineffective. Last week, mass testing was announced in Liverpool and Bristol where the cases of South African variant have risen. The British government is expected to confirm that travellers arriving in the UK from abroad will have to undergo two coronavirus tests while in quarantine. "Enhancing our testing regime to cover all arrivals while they isolate will provide a further level of protection and enable us to better track any new cases which might be brought into the country, and give us even more opportunities to detect new variants," a spokesman was quoted as saying by news agency AFP. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing severe criticism over laxity to test international flyers that have led to a rise in cases of various variants identified abroad. Under new lockdown rules, travellers coming from 33 countries, including South Africa and all South American nations are banned from entering the UK.

UK finds two new mutations of coronavirus amid virus surge

The United Kingdom recorded its highest daily death&nbsp;toll&nbsp;on Friday since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as London declared a major incident, warning that its hospitals were at risk of being overwhelmed.

With a highly transmissible new variant of the virus surging across Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is rushing out vaccines faster than the country's European neighbours in a bid to stem the pandemic.

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Our hospitals are under more pressure than at any other time since the start of the pandemic, and infection rates continue to soar at an alarming rate. 
 
The vaccine rollout has given us renewed hope, but it’s critical for now we stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.
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Britain has the world's fifth-highest official death&nbsp;toll&nbsp;from COVID-19 at nearly 80,000, and the 1,325 deaths reported within 28 days of a positive test on Friday surpassed the previous daily record from last April.

"Our hospitals are under more pressure than at any other time since the start of the pandemic, and infection rates across the entire country continue to soar at an alarming rate," Johnson said in a statement.

"The NHS (National Health Service) is under severe strain and we must take action to protect it, both so our doctors and nurses can continue to save lives and so they can vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as we can."

A further 68,053 COVID-19 cases were reported - also a new daily high - meaning almost three million people have now tested positive for the disease in the United Kingdom, which has a total population of around 67 million.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, from the opposition Labour Party, said hospital beds in the capital would run out within the next few weeks because the spread of the virus was "out of control".

"We are declaring a major incident because the threat this virus poses to our city is at crisis point," Khan said.

The designation of "major incident" is usually reserved for attacks or grave accidents, notably those likely to involve "serious harm, damage, disruption or risk to human life or welfare, essential services, the environment or national security".

London's last "major incident" was the Grenfell Tower fire in a high-rise residential block in 2017, when 72 people died.

Vaccine concern

Khan said there were parts of London where 1 in 20 people had the virus. The pressure on the ambulance service, which was now dealing with up to 9,000 emergency calls a day, meant firefighters were being drafted in to drive vehicles, and police officers would follow.

London, which vies with Paris for the status of Europe's richest city, has a population of more than nine million.

The Office for National Statistics estimated that 1.1 million people in England had the coronavirus in the week to January&nbsp;2, the equivalent of one person in 50.

Britain, the first country to approve vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca, on Friday approved Moderna's shot, which it hopes to begin administering this spring. It also agreed to purchase an additional 10 million Moderna doses.

However, transport minister Grant Shapps said there were fears that some vaccines might not work properly against a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in South Africa.

"This is a very big concern for the scientists," he told LBC radio.

A laboratory study by the US&nbsp;drugmaker Pfizer, not yet peer-reviewed, indicated that the vaccine it is making, developed by Germany's BioNTech, does work against one key mutation in the new variants found in Britain and South Africa.

The United Kingdom recorded its highest daily death toll on Friday since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as London declared a major incident, warning that its hospitals were at risk of being overwhelmed.

The United Kingdom recorded its highest daily death toll on Friday since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as London declared a major incident, warning that its hospitals were at risk of being overwhelmed. With a highly transmissible new variant of the virus surging across Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is rushing out vaccines faster than the country's European neighbours in a bid to stem the pandemic. Our hospitals are under more pressure than at any other time since the start of the pandemic, and infection rates continue to soar at an alarming rate. The vaccine rollout has given us renewed hope, but it’s critical for now we stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 9, 2021 × Britain has the world's fifth-highest official death toll from COVID-19 at nearly 80,000, and the 1,325 deaths reported within 28 days of a positive test on Friday surpassed the previous daily record from last April. "Our hospitals are under more pressure than at any other time since the start of the pandemic, and infection rates across the entire country continue to soar at an alarming rate," Johnson said in a statement. "The NHS (National Health Service) is under severe strain and we must take action to protect it, both so our doctors and nurses can continue to save lives and so they can vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as we can." A further 68,053 COVID-19 cases were reported - also a new daily high - meaning almost three million people have now tested positive for the disease in the United Kingdom, which has a total population of around 67 million. London Mayor Sadiq Khan, from the opposition Labour Party, said hospital beds in the capital would run out within the next few weeks because the spread of the virus was "out of control". "We are declaring a major incident because the threat this virus poses to our city is at crisis point," Khan said. The designation of "major incident" is usually reserved for attacks or grave accidents, notably those likely to involve "serious harm, damage, disruption or risk to human life or welfare, essential services, the environment or national security". London's last "major incident" was the Grenfell Tower fire in a high-rise residential block in 2017, when 72 people died. Vaccine concern Khan said there were parts of London where 1 in 20 people had the virus. The pressure on the ambulance service, which was now dealing with up to 9,000 emergency calls a day, meant firefighters were being drafted in to drive vehicles, and police officers would follow. London, which vies with Paris for the status of Europe's richest city, has a population of more than nine million. The Office for National Statistics estimated that 1.1 million people in England had the coronavirus in the week to January 2, the equivalent of one person in 50. Britain, the first country to approve vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca, on Friday approved Moderna's shot, which it hopes to begin administering this spring. It also agreed to purchase an additional 10 million Moderna doses. However, transport minister Grant Shapps said there were fears that some vaccines might not work properly against a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in South Africa. "This is a very big concern for the scientists," he told LBC radio. A laboratory study by the US drugmaker Pfizer, not yet peer-reviewed, indicated that the vaccine it is making, developed by Germany's BioNTech, does work against one key mutation in the new variants found in Britain and South Africa.

UK sees record daily COVID deaths, London hospitals on brink

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reached a moment of truth on the two issues that have dominated Britain this year: the pandemic and Brexit negotiations with the European Union. But he is still playing for time — a strategy that could put lives or livelihoods at risk if he waits too long.

On Thursday, Johnson inched closer to imposing a second lockdown on the country, moving London to a higher level of restrictions and signaling that he wanted to move Manchester to the highest level, joining Liverpool. But he stuck to his claim that the best way to curb the virus was through targeted responses, not the two-week nationwide lockdown pushed by the opposition Labour Party and his own scientific advisers.

The prime minister also seemed ready to string out trade talks with Brussels, letting a self-imposed deadline pass on Thursday without a deal. While Johnson could torpedo the negotiations on Friday, after a two-day summit meeting of EU leaders, analysts said the British government still appeared eager to strike an agreement by the legal deadline of Dec. 31.

For Johnson, Brexit and the virus are linked: the economic turmoil unleashed by the pandemic has raised the pressure on him to avoid the self-inflicted disruption of a ruptured negotiation with the EU, and the damaging prospect of beginning the new year without a trade agreement in place.

Yet his reluctance to move decisively on either of them, analysts say, risks making both worse.

Dragging out the talks with Brussels could put Britain in a bind if the two sides hit an impasse as the clock runs out. Putting off a short lockdown — which experts have dubbed a “circuit breaker” — could vitiate its effectiveness in curbing the virus’ spread and necessitate a longer lockdown later, according to medical experts.

“If you’re going to do it, do it early, fast and hard,” said Devi Sridhar, chair of the global public health program at the University of Edinburgh. “The longer they delay, the less likely a two-week circuit breaker will work.”

Scientists have proposed that the government schedule the temporary lockdown for the last week of October and first week of November, when schools are closed for midterm break, to make it less disruptive. But some experts questioned whether that would leave enough time to prepare the public for the restrictions.

Britain has missed its chance at earlier action on a midterm lockdown that might have stemmed the latest surge, but it could still be valuable in slowing the spread, said Graham Medley, professor of infectious disease modeling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who advises the government. “We haven’t missed the boat of it epidemiologically as a strategy,” he said.

Britain has recorded about 16,000 new coronavirus cases per day, on average, over the past week — the most since the pandemic began, and a tenfold increase in just six weeks. Nearly 800 people were admitted to hospitals on Thursday, and 563 patients were on ventilators, raising fears that intensive care units will soon be overwhelmed.

The figures have climbed sharply despite an array of new restrictions adopted after government scientists warned last month that without further action, the caseload could reach 50,000 a day by this point.

While the outbreak has been worst in the north and west of England, there are signs that it is spreading across the country. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, pressed the government to raise the city’s status to a high alert level, which prohibits indoor socializing by people from different households, as of Saturday.

But other mayors lashed out against the restrictions. Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, rejected the move to elevate his city to the highest-risk tier, which involves closing pubs and gyms. Burnham, who like Khan is a member of the Labour Party, demanded that the government provide more financial aid to pubs and other businesses that he said would be devastated by the lockdown.

“We will not cave into all the pressure that is being applied to us,” the mayor said in an angry video posted on Twitter. “We will not let them be leveled down by this government through this pandemic.”

For weeks now, Johnson has balanced calls from his scientific advisers for tighter measures with warnings from members of his Conservative Party that a lockdown or similarly draconian measures would wreck the economy.

The political consensus that once characterized Britain’s response to the pandemic has now fractured in both parties, however. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, threw his weight behind a temporary lockdown, while Johnson remains at odds not only with members of his party but also with some in his Cabinet: the popular chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, is resisting the push for a lockdown.

“We are effectively burning the furniture to keep warm now,” said Steve Baker, a Conservative lawmaker and one of the leaders of a campaign for Parliament to have a greater say over coronavirus rules. “If we have to continue like that for another three to six months until there is a vaccine, that poses grave risks to the economy.”

Adding to the pressure on Johnson, public-opinion surveys show clear support in the British public for stricter measures, up to and including a “circuit breaker” — though Britons are split about a lengthier lockdown.

By embracing the idea, analysts said, Starmer had effectively boxed in Johnson.

“If the prime minister moves toward a national lockdown, that will look like he’s changed his mind and moved toward Keir Starmer,” said Keiran Pedley, director of politics at Ipsos/MORI, a polling company. “If he doesn’t, then Labour will presumably say in response to any bad news, ‘You should have listened to us.’ From a political situation, Keir Starmer doesn’t face much risk.”

However treacherous the political landscape for Johnson, the Labour Party’s call for a lockdown might actually strengthen the prime minister’s hand with his own party in the short term. Johnson’s Conservative critics, some observers say, may realize that with public opinion and the opposition running against them, they cannot hope for more than the prime minister’s efforts to seek a middle ground.

“It is dawning on them that this is as good as you are going to get,” said David Gauke, a Conservative former lawmaker who fell out with Johnson over Brexit. “No prime minister is going to be more libertarian than Boris Johnson in this particular set of circumstances.”

This time last year, Johnson faced down resistance by Baker and his hard-line allies on Brexit. He did it by talking tough with Brussels and then cutting a deal that he presented as a triumph — a playbook he appears to be trying to use again.

Johnson’s aides insist a trade agreement is within reach if talks can be intensified on the key issues: fishing quotas and state aid to industry. But the longer they drag on, the greater the uncertainty for British exporters — and the greater the leverage for Brussels.

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reached a moment of truth on the two issues that have dominated Britain this year: the pandemic and Brexit negotiations with the European Union.

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reached a moment of truth on the two issues that have dominated Britain this year: the pandemic and Brexit negotiations with the European Union. But he is still playing for time — a strategy that could put lives or livelihoods at risk if he waits too long. On Thursday, Johnson inched closer to imposing a second lockdown on the country, moving London to a higher level of restrictions and signaling that he wanted to move Manchester to the highest level, joining Liverpool. But he stuck to his claim that the best way to curb the virus was through targeted responses, not the two-week nationwide lockdown pushed by the opposition Labour Party and his own scientific advisers. The prime minister also seemed ready to string out trade talks with Brussels, letting a self-imposed deadline pass on Thursday without a deal. While Johnson could torpedo the negotiations on Friday, after a two-day summit meeting of EU leaders, analysts said the British government still appeared eager to strike an agreement by the legal deadline of Dec. 31. For Johnson, Brexit and the virus are linked: the economic turmoil unleashed by the pandemic has raised the pressure on him to avoid the self-inflicted disruption of a ruptured negotiation with the EU, and the damaging prospect of beginning the new year without a trade agreement in place. Yet his reluctance to move decisively on either of them, analysts say, risks making both worse. Dragging out the talks with Brussels could put Britain in a bind if the two sides hit an impasse as the clock runs out. Putting off a short lockdown — which experts have dubbed a “circuit breaker” — could vitiate its effectiveness in curbing the virus’ spread and necessitate a longer lockdown later, according to medical experts. “If you’re going to do it, do it early, fast and hard,” said Devi Sridhar, chair of the global public health program at the University of Edinburgh. “The longer they delay, the less likely a two-week circuit breaker will work.” Scientists have proposed that the government schedule the temporary lockdown for the last week of October and first week of November, when schools are closed for midterm break, to make it less disruptive. But some experts questioned whether that would leave enough time to prepare the public for the restrictions. Britain has missed its chance at earlier action on a midterm lockdown that might have stemmed the latest surge, but it could still be valuable in slowing the spread, said Graham Medley, professor of infectious disease modeling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who advises the government. “We haven’t missed the boat of it epidemiologically as a strategy,” he said. Britain has recorded about 16,000 new coronavirus cases per day, on average, over the past week — the most since the pandemic began, and a tenfold increase in just six weeks. Nearly 800 people were admitted to hospitals on Thursday, and 563 patients were on ventilators, raising fears that intensive care units will soon be overwhelmed. The figures have climbed sharply despite an array of new restrictions adopted after government scientists warned last month that without further action, the caseload could reach 50,000 a day by this point. While the outbreak has been worst in the north and west of England, there are signs that it is spreading across the country. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, pressed the government to raise the city’s status to a high alert level, which prohibits indoor socializing by people from different households, as of Saturday. But other mayors lashed out against the restrictions. Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, rejected the move to elevate his city to the highest-risk tier, which involves closing pubs and gyms. Burnham, who like Khan is a member of the Labour Party, demanded that the government provide more financial aid to pubs and other businesses that he said would be devastated by the lockdown. “We will not cave into all the pressure that is being applied to us,” the mayor said in an angry video posted on Twitter. “We will not let them be leveled down by this government through this pandemic.” For weeks now, Johnson has balanced calls from his scientific advisers for tighter measures with warnings from members of his Conservative Party that a lockdown or similarly draconian measures would wreck the economy. The political consensus that once characterized Britain’s response to the pandemic has now fractured in both parties, however. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, threw his weight behind a temporary lockdown, while Johnson remains at odds not only with members of his party but also with some in his Cabinet: the popular chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, is resisting the push for a lockdown. “We are effectively burning the furniture to keep warm now,” said Steve Baker, a Conservative lawmaker and one of the leaders of a campaign for Parliament to have a greater say over coronavirus rules. “If we have to continue like that for another three to six months until there is a vaccine, that poses grave risks to the economy.” Adding to the pressure on Johnson, public-opinion surveys show clear support in the British public for stricter measures, up to and including a “circuit breaker” — though Britons are split about a lengthier lockdown. By embracing the idea, analysts said, Starmer had effectively boxed in Johnson. “If the prime minister moves toward a national lockdown, that will look like he’s changed his mind and moved toward Keir Starmer,” said Keiran Pedley, director of politics at Ipsos/MORI, a polling company. “If he doesn’t, then Labour will presumably say in response to any bad news, ‘You should have listened to us.’ From a political situation, Keir Starmer doesn’t face much risk.” However treacherous the political landscape for Johnson, the Labour Party’s call for a lockdown might actually strengthen the prime minister’s hand with his own party in the short term. Johnson’s Conservative critics, some observers say, may realize that with public opinion and the opposition running against them, they cannot hope for more than the prime minister’s efforts to seek a middle ground. “It is dawning on them that this is as good as you are going to get,” said David Gauke, a Conservative former lawmaker who fell out with Johnson over Brexit. “No prime minister is going to be more libertarian than Boris Johnson in this particular set of circumstances.” This time last year, Johnson faced down resistance by Baker and his hard-line allies on Brexit. He did it by talking tough with Brussels and then cutting a deal that he presented as a triumph — a playbook he appears to be trying to use again. Johnson’s aides insist a trade agreement is within reach if talks can be intensified on the key issues: fishing quotas and state aid to industry. But the longer they drag on, the greater the uncertainty for British exporters — and the greater the leverage for Brussels.

As virus surges and Brexit bears down, Boris Johnson stalls for time

A 99-year-old war veteran in the United Kingdom who has started raising funds for Britain's health services by walking has said he would continue to walk till people keep donating&nbsp;as the amount for his cause surpassed 11 million pounds.&nbsp;

"We set out originally to raise a little bit of money by me walking up and down 100 times in reference to my 100th birthday," Captain Tom Moore told Sky News.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/99-year-old-war-veteran-raises-ps4-million-for-nhs-by-walking-in-his-garden-292624">99-year-old war veteran raises £4 million for NHS by walking in his garden</a>

"But if I've done the 100 by tomorrow, I'll have to continue past my birthday, which won't matter because I'll continue walking while people are contributing money to a marvellous fund for the NHS."

Moore, who will be turning 100 next month and is walking in his garden for the cause had initially planned to raise 1000 pounds, but within 24 hours of its beginning, a sum of 70,000 pounds was donated.&nbsp;

For the cause, Moore covers 10 laps of the garden a day with the help of his walking aid and had planned to hit 100 laps in time for his birthday on 30 April.

Describing novel coronavirus as an "invisible enemy", Moore asks everyone to "look forward to the future when we've beaten this enemy".

"Whatever people think, we shall get better. Things will be better tomorrow," he added.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

A 99-year-old war veteran in the United Kingdom who has started raising funds for Britain's health services by walking has said he would continue to walk till people keep donating as the amount for his cause surpassed 11 million pounds.

A 99-year-old war veteran in the United Kingdom who has started raising funds for Britain's health services by walking has said he would continue to walk till people keep donating as the amount for his cause surpassed 11 million pounds. "We set out originally to raise a little bit of money by me walking up and down 100 times in reference to my 100th birthday," Captain Tom Moore told Sky News. Also read | 99-year-old war veteran raises £4 million for NHS by walking in his garden "But if I've done the 100 by tomorrow, I'll have to continue past my birthday, which won't matter because I'll continue walking while people are contributing money to a marvellous fund for the NHS." Moore, who will be turning 100 next month and is walking in his garden for the cause had initially planned to raise 1000 pounds, but within 24 hours of its beginning, a sum of 70,000 pounds was donated. For the cause, Moore covers 10 laps of the garden a day with the help of his walking aid and had planned to hit 100 laps in time for his birthday on 30 April. Describing novel coronavirus as an "invisible enemy", Moore asks everyone to "look forward to the future when we've beaten this enemy". "Whatever people think, we shall get better. Things will be better tomorrow," he added.

'The long walk': 99-year-old war veteran's challenge for donations cross £11 million-mark

The United Kingdom with a GDP of 2.83 trillion dollars is the world's sixth-largest economy and home to 67 million people. The UK's healthcare is the 18th best globally but&nbsp;is still continuing to contain the coronavirus outbreak that has killed over 1200 people and infecting more than 20,000. &nbsp;

The people in the UK are desperate to hear some good news, but a health official has said it could be six months before life coming to normal in Britain.&nbsp;

"So I think three weeks for review, two or three months to see whether we've really squashed it. But about three to six months ideally, and lots of uncertainty in that. But then to see at which point we can actually get back to normal and it is plausible that it could go further than that. We just need to wait to see how successful we've been," Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer said.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-coronavirus-death-toll-under-20000-would-be-good-result-health-chief-says-289207">UK coronavirus death toll under 20,000 would be 'good result' - health chief says</a>

The government said that all parts of the UK are on an emergency footing. There has been a total lockdown since March 23, with citizens allowed to leave only for essentials, medicine, and exercise. The roads are empty and flights have been grounded.&nbsp;

"It is a very emotional flight for the crew who have volunteered today, not only just to get you home, but because we really do enjoy our jobs and working for easyJet. Today for all of us, it is the last time for a while that we'll be wearing our uniforms," a flight attendant announced which was applauded by passengers on board.&nbsp;

An Olympic 2012 venue in London has been converted into a make-shift hospital. the Etihad Stadium in Manchester is being used by the National Health Services (NHS).&nbsp;

The economic output in the UK is likely to fall by 15 per cent and thousands of businesses could be forced to a permanent lockdown.&nbsp;

The worst affected places were bars, restaurants, and shops.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is infected with COVID-19 and his advisor Dominic Cummins is in self-isolation. The Health Secretary Matt Hancock is also infected with the virus. Chris Whitty, the country's chief medical officer is also under self-isolation.&nbsp;

In short, the coronavirus has left Britain's key departments headless or running through video links.&nbsp;

The COVID-19 has not sparred Prince Charles too.

Life has come to a standstill in Britain and it could get worse.&nbsp;

"It's not an easy position to stand on a platform and say we expect a large number of people to die, but we have a pandemic on our hands. And it is an unprecedented event for this generation in this country. I think it is because of where we are on the curve, all the above, as I said previously, applies. We are expecting that number will increase for the next week or two," Harries said.&nbsp;

British officials have said they would have done better if the casualty count capped at 20,000.&nbsp;

The future is unclear, but the message is clear, stay at home safely.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The United Kingdom with a GDP of 2.83 trillion dollars is the world's sixth-largest economy and home to 67 million people. The UK's healthcare is the 18th best globally but is still continuing to contain the coronavirus outbreak that has killed over 1200 people and infecting more than 20,000.

The United Kingdom with a GDP of 2.83 trillion dollars is the world's sixth-largest economy and home to 67 million people. The UK's healthcare is the 18th best globally but is still continuing to contain the coronavirus outbreak that has killed over 1200 people and infecting more than 20,000. The people in the UK are desperate to hear some good news, but a health official has said it could be six months before life coming to normal in Britain. "So I think three weeks for review, two or three months to see whether we've really squashed it. But about three to six months ideally, and lots of uncertainty in that. But then to see at which point we can actually get back to normal and it is plausible that it could go further than that. We just need to wait to see how successful we've been," Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer said. Also read | UK coronavirus death toll under 20,000 would be 'good result' - health chief says The government said that all parts of the UK are on an emergency footing. There has been a total lockdown since March 23, with citizens allowed to leave only for essentials, medicine, and exercise. The roads are empty and flights have been grounded. "It is a very emotional flight for the crew who have volunteered today, not only just to get you home, but because we really do enjoy our jobs and working for easyJet. Today for all of us, it is the last time for a while that we'll be wearing our uniforms," a flight attendant announced which was applauded by passengers on board. An Olympic 2012 venue in London has been converted into a make-shift hospital. the Etihad Stadium in Manchester is being used by the National Health Services (NHS). The economic output in the UK is likely to fall by 15 per cent and thousands of businesses could be forced to a permanent lockdown. The worst affected places were bars, restaurants, and shops. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is infected with COVID-19 and his advisor Dominic Cummins is in self-isolation. The Health Secretary Matt Hancock is also infected with the virus. Chris Whitty, the country's chief medical officer is also under self-isolation. In short, the coronavirus has left Britain's key departments headless or running through video links. The COVID-19 has not sparred Prince Charles too. Life has come to a standstill in Britain and it could get worse. "It's not an easy position to stand on a platform and say we expect a large number of people to die, but we have a pandemic on our hands. And it is an unprecedented event for this generation in this country. I think it is because of where we are on the curve, all the above, as I said previously, applies. We are expecting that number will increase for the next week or two," Harries said. British officials have said they would have done better if the casualty count capped at 20,000. The future is unclear, but the message is clear, stay at home safely.

UK's future hangs in balance after health official says Britain could take six months before attaining normalcy

JD Wetherspoon chief CEO Tim Martin is facing a lot of ire after he refused to close pubs despite calls that he is jeopardising lives of many amid coronavirus outbreak.&nbsp;

Martin told BBC Radio 4 today that shutting down pubs were "over the top"&nbsp;in spite of the government's chief scientific adviser warning that bars are a breeding ground for the COVID-19.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-considering-partial-lockdown-in-london-as-coronavirus-scare-deepens-287351">UK considering partial lockdown in London as coronavirus scare deepens</a>

The CEO further said bars should maintain a "sensible balance"&nbsp;to implement social distancing measures.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-expects-20000-deaths-from-coronavirus-government-chief-scientist-287058">UK expects 20,000 deaths from coronavirus: Government chief scientist</a>

Martin faced more criticism when he said that supermarkets are a bigger threat than pubs.&nbsp;

"Supermarkets are very, very crowded. Pubs are much less crowded. There's hardly been any transmission of the virus within pubs and I think it's over the top to shut them," Martin said.&nbsp;

Netizens have slammed Martin, describing his actions as "grossly irresponsible" and urged him to use social media as celebrities like Kylie Jenner are to encourage youth to stay at home.

Meanwhile, pubs continue to remain occupied with party-goers amid growing calls in the country for social distancing, leading to angry reactions on Twitter.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has so far been reluctant on imposing stricter lockdowns in London, where the majority of cases are reported and emphasize increasing the testing.&nbsp;

Restauranteurs and landlords have asked governments to not order shutdown, arguing that the move would lead to massive losses.&nbsp;

JD Wetherspoon chief CEO Tim Martin is facing a lot of ire after he refused to close pubs despite calls that he is jeopardising lives of many amid coronavirus outbreak.

JD Wetherspoon chief CEO Tim Martin is facing a lot of ire after he refused to close pubs despite calls that he is jeopardising lives of many amid coronavirus outbreak. Martin told BBC Radio 4 today that shutting down pubs were "over the top" in spite of the government's chief scientific adviser warning that bars are a breeding ground for the COVID-19. Also read | UK considering partial lockdown in London as coronavirus scare deepens The CEO further said bars should maintain a "sensible balance" to implement social distancing measures. Also read | UK expects 20,000 deaths from coronavirus: Government chief scientist Martin faced more criticism when he said that supermarkets are a bigger threat than pubs. "Supermarkets are very, very crowded. Pubs are much less crowded. There's hardly been any transmission of the virus within pubs and I think it's over the top to shut them," Martin said. Netizens have slammed Martin, describing his actions as "grossly irresponsible" and urged him to use social media as celebrities like Kylie Jenner are to encourage youth to stay at home. Meanwhile, pubs continue to remain occupied with party-goers amid growing calls in the country for social distancing, leading to angry reactions on Twitter. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has so far been reluctant on imposing stricter lockdowns in London, where the majority of cases are reported and emphasize increasing the testing. Restauranteurs and landlords have asked governments to not order shutdown, arguing that the move would lead to massive losses.

UK: Netizens slam as Britons continue to visit pubs despite coronavirus fears

Coronavirus threat is far from over with the number of infections rising over 100,000, impacting nearly 100 countries. Almost 3,400 people have died worldwide from COVID-19 and apart from affecting economy and supplies, coronavirus-linked scams have also caused major losses in the&nbsp;United Kingdom.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-detects-12-new-coronavirus-cases-on-nile-cruise-boat-284804">Egypt detects 12 new coronavirus cases on Nile cruise boat</a>

UK&nbsp;police said on Friday that people in the country have lost more than 800,000 pounds ($1 million) in coronavirus-linked scams since last month.&nbsp;

In pics:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/how-coronavirus-emptied-worlds-bustling-places-284791">How coronavirus emptied world's bustling places</a>

Out of the 21 fraud cases reported since February 10, most of the scams were of selling masks, with one victim paying 15,000 pounds for masks that never arrived, The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) said.&nbsp;

So far, 115 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Britain, with the first death occurring on Thursday. Globally, more than 3,300 people have been killed by the virus.&nbsp;

Demand for face masks has spiked in North America, India, China and Europe since the outbreak of the virus.&nbsp;

Britain's competition watchdog warned retailers about price hiking on goods with higher demands as the price of disinfectants and hand sanitisers online jumped to as much as 40 times normal rates.

The police also said that scammers had sent coronavirus-themed phishing emails which appear to be from research organisations linked to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organisation (WHO).&nbsp;

They warned that with the rise in coronavirus numbers, the number of fraud cases was expected to rise. &nbsp;

(With Reuters inputs)

Coronavirus threat is far from over with the number of infections rising over 100,000, impacting nearly 100 countries. Almost 3,400 people have died worldwide from COVID-19 and apart from affecting economy and supplies, coronavirus-linked scams have also caused major losses in the United Kingdom.

Coronavirus threat is far from over with the number of infections rising over 100,000, impacting nearly 100 countries. Almost 3,400 people have died worldwide from COVID-19 and apart from affecting economy and supplies, coronavirus-linked scams have also caused major losses in the United Kingdom. Also read: Egypt detects 12 new coronavirus cases on Nile cruise boat UK police said on Friday that people in the country have lost more than 800,000 pounds ($1 million) in coronavirus-linked scams since last month. In pics: How coronavirus emptied world's bustling places Out of the 21 fraud cases reported since February 10, most of the scams were of selling masks, with one victim paying 15,000 pounds for masks that never arrived, The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) said. So far, 115 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Britain, with the first death occurring on Thursday. Globally, more than 3,300 people have been killed by the virus. Demand for face masks has spiked in North America, India, China and Europe since the outbreak of the virus. Britain's competition watchdog warned retailers about price hiking on goods with higher demands as the price of disinfectants and hand sanitisers online jumped to as much as 40 times normal rates. The police also said that scammers had sent coronavirus-themed phishing emails which appear to be from research organisations linked to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organisation (WHO). They warned that with the rise in coronavirus numbers, the number of fraud cases was expected to rise. (With Reuters inputs)

UK people lost 800,000 pounds in coronavirus-related scams