Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FOR HOPE .. & FULL
England will be given the power to impose “lightning lockdowns”.
Councils will be allowed to shut down premises or outdoor spaces and cancel events at short notice.
Ministers can close sectors and premises – such as pubs and shops – and issue “stay at home orders” and transport restrictions. The PM said: “These powers will enable local authorities to act more quickly in response to outbreaks where speed is paramount.”
Nightclubs and children’s soft play centres will remain closed.
Fans will be allowed into sporting events from October, subject to tests.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said three pilot events would include
MORE than 100 people will take part in the next phase of clinical trials to test a coronavirus vaccine developed at Imperial College London.
Work began earlier this week to vaccinate a larger number of participants to assess the optimal dosage.
It follows a “successful” initial phase of the trial which involved 15 volunteers, Imperial said. The next phase will see 105 people, aged 18 to 75, randomised to the World Snooker Championships in Sheffield on July 31, the Glorious Goodwood horse racing meet and a county cricket match at the Oval.
But five-times snooker champion Ronnie O’sullivan threatened to pull out if fans are allowed in, saying it is “insane we’re even talking about it”.
Mr Johnson announced plans to increase antigen testing capacity to 500,000 a day by the end of October, and confirmed an extra £3billion in NHS funding to prepare for a possible
receive their first shot of one of three doses of the vaccine at a West London facility, followed by a booster shot four weeks later.
Professor Robin Shattock, left, who is leading the project, said: “Analysing samples for antibodies and T-cell response provides indication of whether our vaccine can produce an immune response.” It has produced “encouraging” signs of immune responses in animals. second wave of the virus. Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford confirmed the reopening of playgrounds, community centres, funfairs and outdoor gyms in Wales from Monday.
But he warned: “In relation to the Prime Minister’s view everything might be back to normal by Christmas, I must say I do think you have to take a pretty sunny view of circumstances.”
A public health professor has said scrapping social-distancing measures in time for Christmas is an “enthusiastic approach that is premature” as the infection rate is still too high.
Linda Bauld, of Edinburgh University, cited official figures of 1,700 new cases per day in England, warning: “The only way it would be possible to get rid of the one-metre rule is if, over several months, we don’t have any Covid cases around the country.”