Covid-19: Jabs for England's over-25s and a pandemic shortage of summer goods
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday evening. We'll have another update for you on Tuesday morning.
1. Jabs for over-25s in England from Tuesday
England's vaccine rollout will officially extend to people aged 25 to 29 with bookings opening tomorrow, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced. That will mark six months since the UK began its vaccination programme, with more than 40 million people having had at least one jab so far. Mr Hancock said he was "cheered" by the sight of young people queuing to be vaccinated and said the jabs had saved 13,000 lives so far, as well as preventing 39,000 hospital admissions. Meanwhile, Wales said it would hit the UK target to offer first jabs to all adults six weeks early, completing the task by next Monday.
2. Pandemic fuels shortage of summer essentials
Companies are struggling to secure supplies of summer gear like garden furniture, picnic baskets and outdoor toys, a survey suggests. About 60% of British suppliers have experienced import delays in the past month, according to customs clearance platform KlearNow. The pandemic has contributed to the delays, with the effect of Covid restrictions and disruption to shipping due to the crisis in India. But suppliers have also faced a backlog from the Suez Canal blockage, a high demand for shipping containers and a shortage of packing materials.
3. UK travellers face scramble out of Portugal
Some British travellers are scrambling back from Portugal to beat the 04:00 BST deadline when the country joins the amber list and quarantine becomes mandatory. Airlines have added capacity, with double the usual number of flights heading out of Faro in the Algarve on Monday. But several passengers say they cannot return because it has been impossible to get the necessary negative Covid test in time to change their departure. Angela Mantana from Derby says self-isolating for ten days means she will miss her shifts volunteering at a vaccine centre.
4. Airlines demand US-UK travel corridor
As the UK prepares to host world leaders at the G7 summit in Cornwall, airline bosses have called for a trans-Atlantic travel corridor to be opened up. Nearly all UK passengers are currently banned from travelling to the US, while any US travellers are required to quarantine in the UK. The airlines say travel between the countries, which have some of the highest levels of vaccination in the world, is "essential to igniting economic recovery".
5. India's cities begin cautious reopening
Covid case numbers in India are falling and major states are easing restrictions that were imposed after the country endured a record surge of infections earlier this year. The national capital Delhi and the financial hub of Mumbai are among the cities cautiously exiting lockdown, with some shops reopening and limited train services resuming. India has administered more than 230 million doses of Covid vaccines so far, but less than 4% of its 1.4 billion people have been fully vaccinated.
And don't forget...
You can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.
As restrictions ease, employers are taking differing views on whether working from home should continue. Find out what it means for you here.
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June 08, 2021 at 04:32AM
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57388643
Labels: BBC News
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