The Spectator

Tuesday

The Spectator

Covid-19 update: UK death toll nears 50,000

From our UK edition

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis  Public Health England has released its report on the effects of Covid-19 on BAME communities, which finds that black and Asian ethnic groups are ‘up to twice as likely to die with Covid-19 than those from a white British background’. The biggest risk factors are age and gender.The ONS reports an additional 51,466 deaths this year over the five-year average, as the death toll linked to Covid-19 approaches 50,000. Details below.Half of UK hospitals have reported no Covid-19 deaths in the past two days.

Monday

The Spectator

Covid-19 update: Japan avoided lockdown and kept deaths low. How?

From our UK edition

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis Primary school pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 can return to school from today. The National Foundation for Educational Research estimates that 46 per cent of parents will keep their children home over safety fears.Some 2.4 million cancer patients have missed out on tests and treatment because of a backlog caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Cancer Research UK.Fewer than 80 prisoners have been released early to stop the spread of Covid-19 in prisons. The government had previously said up to 4,000 would need to be freed.Some 2.

Friday

The Spectator

Covid-19 update: Sunak starts to roll back furlough scheme

From our UK edition

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis  Rishi Sunak is set to announce changes to the furlough scheme this afternoon. Details below.Groups of up to six people can meet outside in England from Monday. Meanwhile Scotland has begun to ease its lockdown as people from two different households can now meet.The first Covid rehab centre, designed to help patients recovering from the virus, has taken in its first patients.‘More than two additional hours of teaching per week might be needed over a year to compensate for each school week lost to Covid-19’, according to a report from the LSE.

Thursday

The Spectator

What is there to see in Barnard Castle?

From our UK edition

Site test What’s on offer in the town of Barnard Castle? — Ruined 12th-century castle perched high above the Tees, built by Bernard de Balliol and later passed into the hands of Richard III, whose emblem appears above an inner window. — Bowes Museum: magnificent 19th-century French-style gallery built by mine-owner John Bowes and his wife, Josephine. Contains works by El Greco, Goya and Canaletto. Most popular exhibit is a mechanical silver swan which preens itself every day at 2 p.m. — Teeside Way: riverside walk in gorge of River Tees. — Barnard Castle Band: a brass band which has been going since 1860. Signs and symptoms The government broadened the official listed symptoms of Covid-19.

The Spectator

Letters: Why we need music festivals

From our UK edition

Disastrous decisions Sir: One cannot but agree wholeheartedly with Lionel Shriver (‘This is not a natural disaster’, 16 May). Given the unremarked impact of other diseases which she mentioned, Covid-19 is small beer. The government set out on the right path with its herd immunity policy, but was bounced into lockdown by the ‘science’, hounded by the media in full cry. We are now in a situation where employees, mainly in the public sector and supported by the unions, refuse to rise from their feather beds and return to work. This is not a situation from which we will recover easily — if at all.

The Spectator

It’s time to end lockdown – and switch to voluntary social distancing

From our UK edition

Who occupies the post of chief adviser to the prime minister is not generally an issue of great interest to the public. That Dominic Cummings has come to dominate the news for several days is partly explained by the long shadow of Brexit and his role in the referendum campaign. But it is no use attributing to that alone the furore over his decision to travel from London to Durham at the height of lockdown. People are genuinely aggrieved that when they have made personal sacrifices to conform to the ‘stay at home’ edict, a man who helped devise those rules appears not to have done the same. In vain might Mr Cummings argue that the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 gives leeway for his journey. He acted as a responsible husband and father.

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Portrait of the week: Cummings under fire, protests in Hong Kong and a big cat in East Finchley

From our UK edition

Home Open-air markets and car showrooms will be allowed to open from 1 June and other ‘non-essential’ shops from 15 June. Sales of goods in April had fallen by 18 per cent, those of clothing by 50 per cent. Government borrowing rose sharply to £62 billion in April, the highest sum known. The Office for Budget Responsibility predicted borrowing for the year of perhaps £298 billion, more than five times the estimate at the time of the Budget in March. The government announced funding for new long-term housing for 6,000 rough sleepers, of whom more than 14,000 had been given emergency accommodation from the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

The Spectator

2456: So American solution

From our UK edition

Unclued lights are marches by John Philip SOUSA, as hinted by the title: 4/1A, 14/12, 20D, 33A/17, 37/29/26, and 41 First prize Thulasi Karunakaran, Thame, OxfordshireRunners up Susan Hay, South StaffordshirePeter Moody, Fareham, Hampshire.

Wednesday

The Spectator

Covid-19 update: Lockdown was not needed to tame Covid, says Norway

From our UK edition

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis Boris Johnson will face questions from senior MPs on the Liaison Committee amid the Dominic Cummings fallout. The PM is also expected to launch the UK’s track-and-trace programme this evening.Some 8.4 million employees have been furloughed, an increase of 400,000 in one week.Local lockdowns could be used to suppress future outbreaks of Covid-19 in the UK.Two different households will be able to mix outdoors next month, according to the Telegraph.The Covid drug remdesivir will be made available on the NHS.

Tuesday

The Spectator

Covid-19 update: Deaths fall to six-week low – but excess deaths still rising

From our UK edition

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis New ONS data shows the proportion of deaths involving Covid-19 continues to fall in all English regions, but the excess death toll has reached over 60,000. Details below.Tory MP Douglas Ross has resigned as a government minister over the Dominic Cummings row. Details below.Non-essential shops can reopen from 15 June. Barbecues and garden parties of up to ten people may also be allowed.One in four adults in the UK is not receiving their mental healthcare because of lockdown, according to Public Health England.

civilization costs debate
The Spectator

The big debate: is lockdown wrong?

Is lockdown a gargantuan mistake? That's the view of a growing number of thinkers and critics, including The Spectator’s very own Toby Young, who sees the political class's shutting down of entire populations as the most catastrophic policy error in history. Not every free thinker agrees, however. We asked Matt Labash, a contributing editor and a skeptic of lockdown skepticism, to challenge Toby over email. Matt Labash: Toby, thanks for stepping into the squared circle and joining me for a Pandemania tussle as a gentleman pugilist, sage, and co-equal partner in the search for truth. And also, as a fellow amateur epidemiologist, which there is no longer any shame in saying, since the pros have bunged things up so spectacularly.

Friday

The Spectator

Covid-19 update: UK debt jumps to 98 per cent of GDP

From our UK edition

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis  The UK’s two metre social distancing rule could be relaxed according to medical director of Public Health England Yvonne Doyle, speaking at a science and technology committee hearing.The UK government borrowed £62.1 billion in April, sending net debt to a record 98 per cent of GDP. Details below.Foreigners and UK nationals will be fined £1,000 if they refuse to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival in Britain. They must share contact details with authorities and will then be subject to spot checks in homes by health officials and police.

Thursday

The Spectator

Letters: When is a sport not a sport?

From our UK edition

Save the children Sir: Your leading article is correct that the government should have evaluated the detriment caused by shutting schools, against the risk posed by Covid-19 (‘Class divide’, 16 May). This is not a glib trade-off between protecting lives and allowing children to go to school: the predicament foisted on young people will affect their future for decades. Exams were abruptly cancelled in March. This has left many schools dealing with apathetic individuals. The disparity between disadvantaged and affluent students is widening: middle-class schoolchildren are twice as likely to receive online tuition, and only 8 per cent of teachers in low-income communities report more than three-quarters of work being submitted, compared with 50 per cent in the private sector.

The Spectator

Which football teams have welcomed the strangest fake crowds?

From our UK edition

Unusual crowd FC Seoul apologised after using sex dolls to try to create some atmosphere as games went ahead behind closed doors because of coronavirus. It is not the first time a football club has got into trouble over a fake crowd. In 1992 Arsenal covered up works at the north end of its Highbury stadium with a large mural of spectators — but was forced to repaint it after complaints that it did not contain enough women or ethnic minorities. The Italian Serie C side Triestina also experimented in 2010 with a fake crowd of 10,000 virtual fans printed on vinyl sheeting. Covid worldwide Cases and deaths from Covid-19 have been declining in Britain and across Europe. But what about the world as a whole?

The Spectator

Portrait of the week: Unemployment up, bathers banned and Corbyn’s brother arrested

From our UK edition

Home The United Kingdom seemed reluctant to come out of its lockdown. ‘We are likely to face a severe recession, the likes of which we haven’t seen,’ said Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Unemployment rose by 856,500 in April to 2.1 million. More than two million claims had been made for the grant scheme for self-employed people. The government was estimated to be paying ten million of the UK’s 27.5 million private-sector workers. At quiet railway stations, wardens supposedly trained in crowd control stood around talking to each other. Police in England and Wales issued 14,444 fixed penalty notices for breach of the coronavirus regulations up to 11 May; one person was fined nine times.

The Spectator

It’s time for ministers to stop hiding behind unpublished ‘scientific advice’

From our UK edition

From the outset of the Covid-19 crisis, the government was determined that scientists would play a central and highly visible role. The Prime Minister set the tone in his first daily press briefing, when he addressed the nation flanked by the chief medical officer and the chief scientific adviser. The message was clear: this was a government that cherished, not rejected, experts. They were not going to be kept in a back room, but would be there to explain the reasoning behind all policy-making. But this new relationship between government and scientific establishment risks going sour. Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College advised the government that Covid-19, if left unconfronted, could take 500,000 lives: almost as many as are killed each year by all other causes put together.

The Spectator

2455: Shadow boxing solution

From our UK edition

The unclued lights are the four Labour MPs who stood for election as Labour’s leader to succeed Jeremy Corbyn: 11, 18/12, 28/16 and 36/41. The red squares reveal ANGELA RAYNER, the deputy leader. First prize Sara MacIntosh, Darlington, Co.

Wednesday

The Spectator

Covid-19 update: Cancer deaths, A&E and the lockdown effect

From our UK edition

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis  Slogan update. After ‘Stay alert’ comes: ‘Keep our distance, wash our hands, think of others and play our part. All together.’Delays to cancer surgery will lead to almost 5,000 deaths, according to the Institute of Cancer Research. Analysis from Fraser Nelson below.The UK has sold government bonds with a negative interest rate for the first time ever: £3.75 billion worth, maturing in July 2023 with an average yield of -0.003%.Cambridge University said it will switch to online lectures in the next academic year.

Tuesday

The Spectator

Covid-19 update: How many furloughed jobs will come back?

From our UK edition

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis  The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the UK rose to 2.1 million in April in the biggest jump since records began in 1971.One in three private sector workers now has some of their wages paid for by the government.The official number of UK coronavirus deaths is now more than 44,000. The number of care home deaths is down 31% on the previous week, according to ONS data.Primary school pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 may return to school from 1 June.

Monday

The Spectator

Covid-19 update: Measuring the damage of lockdown school closures

From our UK edition

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis Children from better-off families spend 30% more time on home learning than those from poorer families, according to new research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.Missing a third of a year of school could cut pupils’ lifetime earnings by 4%, a German study says. More below.More than 500,000 people have accessed a suicide prevention course over the past three weeks, according to a suicide prevention charity.Trains in England are running at increased frequency and stations have put in place crowd control measures.