WHO urges ‘aggressive’ virus response in SE Asia

House of Commons

Parliament

Today’s session of Prime Minister’s Questions has come to an
end, in a Commons chamber less busy than usual after party managers asked most
MPs to stay away. Here’s what happened:

• PM Boris Johnson said the UK government would be taking further
  action “imminently” on schools
• He also said testing for coronavirus in the UK would be
  moving to 25,000 people a day
• Labour called for the government to increase the rate of statutory sick pay and do more to help renters. The SNP called for an “emergency universal income scheme”
• Mr Johnson declined to put a “timescale” on when new social distancing advice announced on Monday will be eased

Dentists in the UK have requested updated advice following the government’s new guidance on social distancing to fight coronavirus.

The British Dental Association has called for greater clarity from government and said ministers have failed to communicate updated guidance on Covid-19.

The association’s chair Mick Armstrong said: “Out of date official guidance has left both dentists and patients in an untenable position.

“A ‘business as usual’ approach now stands at odds with both the prime minister’s guidance, and a growing body of evidence. Anxious colleagues deserve answers.

“They are at a loss at how government intends to keep their patients safe and their practices afloat

“A service that millions depend on is uniquely exposed, and with no safety net in place. Without clear guidance and support a fully functioning dental service may end up a casualty of this pandemic.”

Hugh Pym

BBC News Health Editor

Testing for coronavirus is to be more than doubled in England. Commercial equipment will be brought in to boost the capacity currently available in the NHS and via Public Health England.

Only last week it was announced that capacity would be raised from 2,000 per day to 10,000 using hospital labs to back up work in public health laboratories.

House of Commons

Parliament

The UK left the EU at the beginning of this year, and was meant to be in the process of negotiating a trade deal with the bloc.

Boris Johnson repeatedly said ahead of the coronavirus crisis that there was a deadline for an agreement of the end of 2020 – and if a deal hadn’t been done, the UK would walk away.

But now questions are whirring about whether this stance may change, especially after talks between the two sides were scrapped this week.

Asked about it at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson said the government’s priority was to deal with the coronavirus.

But, appearing to reveal his determination was still in place, he said his plans for a trade deal deadline had “already been legislated for”.

More on the issue of school closures – and the UN’s cultural and education arm Unesco says more than 100 countries have implemented nationwide school and university closures. These closures mean that 849 million children and young people worldwide are not in their usual classes, according to the agency.

China is the worst-hit country with more than 233 million children affected, while Pakistan is in second with more than 44 million.

House of Commons

Parliament

Boris Johnson answers a question on schools by saying more action will be taken “imminently”.

The UK PM pays tribute to “not just our teachers, but everyone who works in our schools for everything they have done to keep going through this crisis so far”.

Mr Johnson says he wants to do more to “remove burdens on schools”.

He adds: “The House should expect further decisions to be taken imminently on schools and how to be sure we square the circle, making sure we stop spread of the disease but relieve pressure on NHS.”

House of Commons

Parliament

Back to the House of Commons now, and Jeremy Corbyn says the UK should be testing on an “industrial scale”, noting the current levels are not sufficient to cover care and NHS staff.

He also asks about the protective equipment NHS workers are required to wear. He asks whether the government will give them full equipment.

Boris Johnson replies that testing is moving to “up to 25,000 a day”, and says work is ongoing to make sure NHS workers can go to work in “perfect security”.

For his final question, Mr Corbyn says the burden during the coronavirus outbreak must not fall on the most needy – he asks for support for those most vulnerable.

In response, the prime minister gives an overview of the measures outlined yesterday. He says if people follow advice closely “the quicker we will get through it”.

Away from Parliament, the BBC has announced new programming in the UK to support the public during the coronavirus outbreak.

The corporation will begin a new live series called Health Check UK Live on BBC One each day to address concerns of those in isolation.

It will also aim to broadcast a virtual church service live on Sunday morning each week.

And the BBC Food website will provide recipes for those with access to only the bare essentials.

If schools are closed by the government, the BBC says it could provide a daily education television programme for different age groups that students can follow.

Director General Tony Hall said:
“We all know these are challenging times for each and every one of us. As the national
broadcaster, the BBC has a special role to play at this time of national need.”

Mr Corbyn then moves onto the issue of testing NHS workers for the coronavirus.

“NHS staff are on the front line,” he says. “However, sadly those workers have no idea if they are actually transmitting the virus themselves.

“Can the prime minister please explain why the government isn’t prioritising testing of all healthcare staff?”

But the PM says those workers are a priority, claiming the UK is also ahead of other countries in the amount of testing it is doing.

Mr Johnson also says “we are getting much closer to having a generally available test” to see if people have already had the disease.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn makes a final point on statutory sick pay, saying to tackle it there must be a “recognition of social injustice and inequalities that exist in this country”.

He says by not extending it to all workers – especially those on zero-hour contracts working in social care – people will be put at risk.

Mr Corbyn moves onto the issue of private renters, saying the UK chancellor “offered nothing to 20 million people living in rented homes”.

He adds: “They are worried, worried sick they can’t pay rent if they get ill.”

Boris Johnson praises his opposite number for making “a series of powerful points” and promises to “bring forward legislation to protect private renters”.

House of Commons

Parliament

Unsurprisingly, Labour leader Jeremy
Corbyn uses his first question at PMQs to ask about coronavirus. He pays tribute to British public service workers and shop workers.

He asks whether the government will now increase UK statutory sick pay to “European levels” to help people cope with the economic effects of the crisis.

Boris Johnson replies that the government will be bringing forward further measures to support “workers of all kinds” throughout the crisis.

Following up, Mr Corbyn says other countries are doing more and says the current statutory sick pay rate in the UK of £94 per week is not enough. He says all workers should get “enhanced” sick pay.

Mr Johnson says it is right the government does “whatever it takes” to support workers.

Prime Minister’s Questions has now begun in the UK Parliament, with Boris Johnson making a few remarks.

He responds to the first question by paying tribute to staff across the NHS “coping at an extremely difficult time”.

And he reiterates the government’s promise to give the health service all the resources it needs.

This is the scene in the House of Commons just minutes before the start of Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).

The chamber is normally filled to the rafters ahead of the weekly questioning of the UK’s PM, but MPs have been advised to stay away unless they are asking something themselves because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Just look at how different it is from last week’s PMQs…

Kerry Allen

BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

As the number of new infections in China continues to drop, hope and positivity are trending on Chinese social media.

Some posts focus on the many medical workers who have spent months on the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak – and who are now finally able to go home to their families. Photos of smiling doctors in Wuhan being able to take off their medical masks have gone viral.

In one particular post, two trucks that look like firetrucks are seen spraying water over an arriving plane, to make a man-made rainbow as two medical workers return from worst-hit Hubei province to north-eastern Jinan.

Infographics showing the number of new cases per region are also popular. Since the cases started dropping, Chinese people have been using rainbow coloured infographics listing the number of days each region has had 0 new cases. The latest one is here.

But it’s not all positive. One story trending right now is of a service station in southern Guangxi, which reportedly tried to segregate its toilets for people from Hubei province. Global Times newspaper has a photo of the cubicle with a sign saying: “Hubei residents’ toilet”.

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has now passed 200,000, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.

The total is now 201,530 confirmed cases, and 8,007 deaths.

China still has the highest number of confirmed cases (81,102), while Italy has the second highest with 31,506.

Residents of Venice are noticing a vast improvement in the quality of the famous canals that run through the city, which are running clear for the first time in years, and fish can even be seen in the usually murky waters.

The coronavirus lockdown has left Venice streets empty, and a drastic drop in water traffic means sediment in the canals has been able to settle.

House of Commons

Parliament

Further to our earlier post about PMQs, it looks like the concern has now been understood.

MPs have been told to stay away from the Commons
for the half-hour scrutiny session unless they have proposed a question in advance – around 15 or so are listed on the order paper.

Conservative whips – party managers – sent a message to MPs saying the
move was to “ensure that we follow advice being given to the public”.

Labour MPs were told the government was “trying to
avoid crowding the chamber” and asked those who were attending to “space
yourselves out”.

More and more people are wearing masks on the streets of cities across the globe.

A microbiologist from the University of Hong Kong has even called for people who don’t wear face masks to be banned from using public transport there, in light of a surge in the number of imported cases of Covid-19.

But the WHO’s guidance on face masks still stands (despite all the pressure you might be feeling to wear them on the street):

• If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection
• Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing
• Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water
• If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly

In January, Dr David Carrington, of St George’s, University of London, told BBC News “routine surgical masks for the public are not an effective protection against viruses or bacteria carried in the air”, which was how “most viruses” were transmitted, because they were too loose, had no air filter and left the eyes exposed.

But they could help lower the risk of contracting a virus through the “splash” from a sneeze or a cough and provide some protection against hand-to-mouth transmissions.

Here’s the original piece.

Members of the UK Parliament have said they are concerned about the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions due to take place at 12:00GMT today.

MPs have told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Emma Barnett that the PMQs session – which attracts hundreds in the House of Commons at Westminster – should adapt to social-distancing measures.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has advised the public to avoid large crowds.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow minister for security, said: “I have concerns as well, I am not sure how long this can continue. There are ways around this where you can still hold the government to account.”

The Scottish National Party said its MPs would try to spread out across the green benches.

Conservative MP Michael Fabricant tweeted to say the party’s whips had asked that only those chosen to ask Mr Johnson a question should sit in the chamber.