Coronavirus: Social distancing enforced globally

The chief executive of the British Retail Consortium – which represents many UK retailers – is to appear alongside the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary George Eustice at the UK daily news conference shortly, our political correspondent Nick Eardley reports.

Helen Dickinson could speak about efforts by national retailers to keep supplies flowing after panic buying – and moves by big grocers to hire many more staff.

The government is to hold talks with supermarket bosses about keeping supplies in stock and overcoming panic buying which is taking place across the UK amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Supermarkets have seen their shelves stripped of essential items such as toilet rolls, hand sanitiser, paracetamol, meat, fruit and vegetables.

The stockpiling has led to supermarkets introducing limits on the amount of some items sold, with golden shopping hours introduced to help the elderly and NHS and care workers.

Stores are also taking on thousands of temporary and permanent workers to deal with the increased demand from the Covid-19 crisis.

The government will speak to leading supermarket chains on Saturday to see what the authorities can do to ensure the shelves remain stocked and the supply chains can cope with the demand.

Nick Eardley

Political correspondent

We can expect to hear a lot about the food situation – what’s going on in shops? We know there was a call earlier between ministers and the supermarkets.

We’ve all seen the scenes at shops and empty shelves – those are the sorts of issues likely to come up later. We may hear more about what measures might be taken by the supermarkets and the government to make sure those shelves are fully stocked in the coming weeks.

The issue of help for the self-employed is also being raised directly with government.

The truth is that the situation has moved so fast over the last 10 days – there have been three major interventions by the chancellor – and there are still questions.

Certainly there is pressure on that issue of exactly what is the support for the self-employed. There will be pressure on the government to perhaps come up with something else.

Another issue likely to come up at the UK government’s daily breifing shortly is how the country will support those workers who are self-employed.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak – who announced a huge support package for employees of companies on Friday – has come under pressure for not outlining specific measures to help those who work for themselves.

Treasury minister Stephen Barclay said it would be “operationally” hard to protect self-employed incomes and that they would be helped by the strengthening of the country’s welfare “safety net”.

Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the lack of measures put in place for the self-employed “will cause real hardship unless we get to grips with it”.

Read more here.

One of the topics that could be discussed at the UK government’s news conference at 14:00 GMT is panic buying at supermarkets.

Images of empty shelves and shopping trolleys piled high with toilet rolls have been in stark contrast to many other European countries, where shopping has carried on as normal.

As the cabinet secretary with responsibility for food, George Eustice may face questions about UK supplies and whether the government feels further enforcement is needed to ensure everyone gets the food they need.

We reported earlier how British supermarkets have begun a hiring spree to keep up with a surge in demand.

Mr Eustice will represent the government at the news conference instead of Prime Minister Boris Johnson who has appeared each day since Monday.

Here’s a round up of what America is waking up to on Saturday:

• A growing number of cities and states have issued “stay at home” orders as the US death toll passes 200 and more than 20,000 cases are confirmed
• One in five American citizens – over 70 million people – will soon be under lockdown orders
• On Friday, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Illinois joined California in requiring residents to stay home and only go outside for necessities such as food and medicine
• The new measures take effect over the weekend with Illinois’s lockdown beginning on Saturday and New York’s lockdown starting on Sunday
• Canada, Mexico, and the US have agreed to close their borders to all but essential travel and trade
• Several US senators are facing calls to resign after it was revealed that they sold stock in companies – later lost value – while at the same time telling the American public not to worry about the coming pandemic, which has caused markets around the globe to tank
• An unnamed member of Vice-President Mike Pence’s staff tested positive on Friday for coronavirus, but the person had no “close contact” with either President Trump or Mr Pence, his spokeswoman said

The UK government’s daily news conference will take place at 14:00 GMT today.

The country’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary George Eustice will take the helm, stepping in for PM Boris Johnson, who has led the briefings since Monday.

Mr Eustice is expected to be joined by government scientific and medical experts.

We’ll be here to bring you all the latest from the conference.

In case you’re just joining us, here’s a roundup of some of the latest developments around the world as countries grapple with the spread of coronavirus:

• Virus related deaths have doubled in Portugal during the last 24 hours: from 6 to 12. More than 260 new infections have also been reported, bringing the national total to 1,280.
• Neighbouring Spain has recorded its biggest daily jump in deaths: a rise of 324, bringing the total to 1,326. It’s thought to be the heaviest-hit country behind Italy and China, and local media report that hospitals, especially in Madrid, are struggling to cope.
• South Korea has warned that it might have to close religious, sports and entertainment centres if citizens ignore government advice to avoid group gatherings. Authorities there have reported 100 new cases in the last 24 hours – this is the second time it has happened in a week, suggesting the virus is not yet under control.
• Meanwhile, for the first time, China has reported no new domestically transmitted cases over the last 24 hours. But 41 new cases of imported infection were confirmed on Friday – 14 of them in Beijing and nine in Shanghai.
• Georgia’s Prime Minister told reporters he has asked the country’s president to declare a state of emergency over coronavirus. Authorities have reported 47 cases nationally.
• Negotiations will continue in the US Congress today over the details of a $1tn (£858bn) economic programme to support American households during the pandemic.

In Africa, there are fewer Covid-19 cases than in many parts of the world, but the head of the World Health Organization has warned that the continent should prepare for the worst.

Governments across the region are introducing strict measures such as closing schools and restricting movements.

But in informal settlements where millions of people live at close quarters, many fear that keeping social distance and self-isolation are not possible.

On Friday the government announced that schools are closing to everyone except vulnerable children, and those with a parent identified as a key worker.

But what is a key worker?

The Big Issue will no longer be sold on UK streets from Monday.

Big Issue founder Lord John Bird said the move was aimed at safeguarding the health of the vendors, many of whom are homeless.

The papers’ vendors number between 1,500 and 2,000. They normally sell around 60,000 copies of the magazine every week.

Lord Bird said: “Coronavirus is an unprecedented threat to public health. Our sellers, many of whom are homeless, are already highly vulnerable and it is only right that we act now to protect their welfare at this critical time.”

A digital version of the paper will be available online – with half the money going to the vendors.

Readers will able to subscribe
for three months and have the magazine delivered to their door each week.

Supermarkets in the UK have gone on a hiring spree as demand surges as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Along with other measures to cope with the increased demand, some of the chains have embarked on big recruitment drives for a total of more than 30,000 jobs.

Tesco, Asda, Aldi, and Lidl said they would hire thousands of staff after hugely increased demand saw shoppers clearing shelves.

Sainsbury’s has asked shoppers to stay 1m away from shop staff if possible, to help keep them safe.

It comes as supermarkets have been overwhelmed by a wave of panic-buying.

To combat the stockpiling, in recent days the major British supermarkets imposed limits on how much of each item shoppers can buy.

Tesco, the UK’s biggest supermarket, wants to take on 20,000 temporary workers “to help feed the nation”, it said.

Aldi announced it was looking to fill 5,000 new temporary posts and take on 4,000 permanent new workers for jobs in all its stores and distribution centres.

And Lidl said it would create about 2,500 temporary jobs across its 800 stores in the UK.

To find out more about how supermarkets are coping with the an increase of demand due to the coronavirus, click here.

The country’s health ministry revealed the country’s biggest daily jump in deaths on Saturday: a rise of 324 in one day, bringing the total to 1,326.

There has also been a significant rise in the total number of Covid-19 cases recorded across the country. In just one day almost 5,000 more people have been confirmed to have the virus, bringing the total registered number to 24,926.

Spain is now thought to be the world’s third-heaviest hit country when it comes to the number of confirmed cases, behind Italy and China.

Local reports say that hospitals, especially in the Madrid area, are struggling to cope with the rise in cases. The Spanish government locked down public life last weekend to try to stem the outbreak.

British technology firm Smiths Group says it is making the details of one of its ventilators available for other manufacturers to
produce, in an attempt to tackle the shortage of equipment.

It comes as British engineering firms have been called on to switch to making medical ventilators, which helps breathing by getting oxygen into the lungs and removing carbon dioxide.

The group’s Smiths Medical unit is also ramping up its own ventilator production, as well as providing intellectual property and advice to other companies to make its PARAPAC Plus lightweight ventilators.

A spokesperson said: “We are doing everything possible to substantially increase production of our ventilators at our Luton site and worldwide.”

Ford, Honda, car parts firm Unipart, digger maker JCB, and aero-engine maker Rolls Royce are among companies looking into the feasibility of switching some production.

Japanese carmaker Nissan is also looking at manufacturing ventilators, as it confirmed it is halting UK vehicle production for the foreseeable future.

We brought you the news earler (see 10:04 post), that mainland China is experiencing a spike in imported cases.

Here is some of the latest news we’re getting from elsewhere in Asia:

• The Philippines has registered its highest single-day increase in cases – 77 – taking the total to 307. Only 1,269 people have been tested so alarm bells are ringing
• Indonesia – a country of 270 million – now has 450 cases and 38 deaths. A state of emergency has been declared in the capital, Jakarta – a mega-city
• There are fears in India that infections could surge as hundreds of thousands of migrants workers lose their jobs and return from cities to villages. At least 230 cases have been recorded in India
• South Korea is advising people to stop socialising for 15 days after 147 new infections were reported on Saturday. The country hit a peak of 909 new cases in a day on 29 February
• Authorities in Bangkok, the Thai capital, are closing shopping centres, markets and most shops – bringing normal life in the city to a halt
• Singapore has registered the first two deaths there

Canadian Rob McKenzie accidentally went on what he now calls
a “coronavirus tour” – he travelled through Italy, Hong Kong and Malaysia over
two and a half weeks, and saw a big contrast in the response to coronavirus.

He was visiting his in-laws in Canepina in late
February – when the first cases were reported in Italy. At the time, public
messaging around coronavirus was unclear, and “Italians have a profound distrust
of politicians”, which meant most dismissed it as “a bunch of
nonsense and annoyance”.

He then went to Hong Kong to visit a sick friend – and was taken
aback by the measures in place. An in-flight announcement warned
passengers to be proactive, there was detailed screening at the airport, and the
few people out in public wore masks.

A week later, he flew to Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia had its first cases in late January – yet “very few people were wearing masks,
the airport didn’t seem curious at all about where I’d been”, and he went to a temple
where about “200 people shared lunch at a long table”. Since then, case numbers
have shot up, and the government has ordered a two-week lockdown.

He says his trip felt a bit like a “travelling across time… I
think a lot of these countries are doing a similar journey, where the first
stage is disbelief, doubt and annoyance, and the second stage is more shock and
compliance.”

What could the West learn from Asia?

The UK government is coming under further pressure to provide more financial support to the self-employed, after many face financial hardship due to the coronavirus.

Some MPs say the chancellor’s unprecedented plan to underwrite the wages of employees who face being laid off does nothing for freelancers, contractors and the self-employed.

Former Conservative cabinet minister David Davis said the economy could suffer a near “fatal seizure” if they are not protected.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Davis said: “Without this the whole of the British economy will have a seizure – almost a fatal seizure in economic terms.

“It is great for those who have got jobs but it does miss out a pretty important sector of the economy – namely the self-employed – and he (Mr Sunak) is going to have to find a way of replicating this for the self-employed as well.”

His call was seconded by TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady who said the trade union movement would be “pushing really hard” on the issue.

It’s been around for decades to treat malaria but there has been lots of talk about whether chloroquine can help Covid-19 patients.

President Trump said on Thursday that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved the drug for use in treating the new coronavirus, but that’s not true.

It’s an approved drug for malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, but that’s it.

But there is some hope. Some doctors say it has appeared to help Covid-19 patients, and lab studies show it seems to block the virus.

However, and this is crucial, clinical trials are still under way.

Read more from our Reality Check team here.

With the coronavirus spreading throughout the world, people are being asked to take part in social distancing or self-isolation. But what do these terms mean, and how do they differ?

Social distancing means avoiding unnecessary contact with other people and spending less time in public places, where a lot of people are around.

Everyone in the UK is now advised to follow self-distancing measures, especially the over-70s, pregnant women and adults normally eligible for a flu jab.When social distancing you must work from home where possible and avoid all unnecessary travel and public gatherings.

You can go for a walk or run outdoors if you stay 2m (6ft) away from others, go to the shops to buy groceries, see family and friends if it’s essential, walk your dog, and provide essential care for elderly residents and neighbours – if you have no symptoms.

People that show coronavirus symptoms, or live with someone who is showing symptoms, have been asked to self-isolate.

Self-isolating means staying at home and not leaving it, other than for exercise.

This means you cannot go to work, school or public areas during this time and if possible, you should not go out even to buy food or other essentials.

If you are unable to get supplies delivered, you should do what you can to limit social contact when you do leave the house.

For more on social distancing and self-isolation, click here.