This daily bulletin includes information to support our clients as events unfold across the nation. We are working through the details on our hosting online coffee breaks throughout the lockdown and will circulate details soon. We would love to hear from you - tell us what you are up to and share your experiences of home working by contacting us here. We hope you enjoy reading it and look forward to hearing from you soon. Amid testing difficulties and rising cases, the Government commits to reviewing how it supports businessesOnly the second week of lockdown (yes, I know, I also had to double-check that it hasn't been a month!) and the initial praise of the Government's response is quickly fading into criticism. The issues with increasing testing capacity, particularly for NHS staff, grab all headlines today, but there are other serious concerns capturing people's attention. After yesterday's reports of some parts of Government not taking the COVID-19 threat seriously enough while being aware of insufficient resources to the NHS, more and more attention is being paid to the shortages of personal protective equipment for frontline staff. The shortages are so severe and the risk to doctors and nurses (and their families) so high that Southend hospital has warned that it might have to drastically reduce its services. Of course, limited or inadequate resources are true not only for the UK but for most countries caught unprepared by the severity and speed of epidemic. But, as figures show a worsening of the crisis with 563 deaths yesterday (the highest number so far), these concerns certainly won't strengthen the confidence of citizens in their leaders. So the Government is now retrenching to what it feels are its strengths: a sensible economic policy and a focus on driving innovation. Alok Sharma, BEIS Secretary of State, led yesterday's press conference providing the following updates: - Councils have now received £12 billion for grants to be distributed to businesses; - The £22 billion for business rate relief and grants for SMEs are now accessible to businesses; - COVID Business Interruption Loans are also now officially available and banks are under strict instructions to issue them, with Mr Sharm branding unacceptable behaviour for any bank to delay or refuse them. - The Chancellor is expected to announce further measures over the coming days to ensure financial support gets to the businesses that need it; - Health Secretary Matt Hancock led a video call with biotech and pharmaceutical companies to call for collaboration and cooperation between Government (read Public Health England) and the private sector to drive up the number of tests. This will likely mean that testing will no longer be limited to PHE facilities. COVID-19 now the No. 1 nasty infectious disease Covid-19 TrackerEach week, for at least the next 8 weeks, Com Res Savanta is hosting an online tracker that helps you understand how the national mood is changing and developing through the crisis. You can view this here. COP26 climate talks in Glasgow postponed until 2021 The most important climate negotiations since the Paris agreement in 2015 were scheduled to take place this November to put countries back on track to avoid climate breakdown. The UK energy minister and president of the Cop26 conference, Alok Sharma, held crunch talks with the UN and several other countries on Wednesday evening to confirm the timing of the summit. “The world is currently facing an unprecedented global challenge and countries are rightly focusing their efforts on saving lives and fighting Covid-19. That is why we have decided to reschedule Cop26,” he said. Coronavirus: Testing will 'unlock puzzle', PM saysTesting is the solution to "unlock the puzzle" of coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. Mr Johnson was speaking after it was revealed only 2,000 out of some half a million frontline NHS workers in England had been tested. The PM said the government needed to "massively ramp up" testing so that NHS staff who were self-isolating unnecessarily could return to work. Many MPs and Peers will not be able to attend their respective chambers - but they should not be prevented from carrying out their duties. Something extraordinary happened in Parliament this week. The House of Commons affirmed on Tuesday 24 March – with significant impetus from the Speaker – to allow committee proceedings to take place on a virtual basis. The impact of COVID-19 on the Charity Sector The House of Commons' Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee launched an inquiry into how the current COVID-19 crisis is impacting the charity sector. The sector is suffering a sudden reduction in income due to the epidemic while at the same time it is providing essential services to the most vulnerable in society. In a timeframe reserved for emergency measures, the City watchdog is asking banks to respond to its proposed measures by Monday 6 April, and it wants them to come into force by Thursday 9 April. After the FCA recently announced an "overhaul" for overdraft charges, many banks increased their charges for some customers and clustered around a similar figure of about 40%. Meme of the day - because laughter is the best medicine
Meanwhile, on Twitter... |