Coronavirus live news: England ends ‘pingdemic’ for vaccinated; New Zealand details plans to reopen border

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1.42am EDT01:42

Larry Elliott

Fewer than one in 5 folks working in cities throughout the UK had returned to the workplace by the top of July, figures have revealed.

A report from the Centre for Cities thinktank mentioned employee footfall in 30 large cities stood at a mean of simply 18% of pre-pandemic ranges within the instant aftermath of most Covid legal guidelines being scrapped in England.

The largest migration of staff again to the workplace has occurred in Brighton, with 49% of individuals having returned to their desks, an increase of 6% on the earlier week. This was adopted by Gloucester (39%), Southend (38%) and York (37%).

Cities the place solely a fraction of staff have gone again to the workplace embody Glasgow, with an 8% determine – the town has had coronavirus restrictions in drive for longer, given Scotland’s slower easing than England – adopted by London and Oxford (15%) and Sheffield and Milton Keynes (16%).

Daytime employee footfall fell by 1% within the ultimate week of July in contrast with the earlier seven days, and on common was working at barely half the pre-Covid ranges:

1.26am EDT01:26

New Zealand particulars plans to reopen border

New Zealand will proceed to pursue its bold Covid-19 elimination technique indefinitely, Jacinda Ardern has mentioned, including that borders would by no means be the identical as she laid out plans for a cautious, phased, reopening of the nation.

The prime minister set out the nation’s much-awaited reopening technique on Thursday, and warned that New Zealand would at all times want some form of safety at its border. “Similar to after 9/11, the border won’t ever be the identical after Covid … issues can change, however that doesn’t imply we are able to’t adapt to them in a manner that ultimately feels regular once more.”

Nonetheless, she additionally indicated, that every one going properly, vaccinated travellers from low-risk nations shall be allowed to skip quarantine and enter the nation early subsequent 12 months.

There are additionally plans to hurry up the vaccine rollout to guard in opposition to the specter of the Delta variant.

New Zealand’s elimination technique, which has included strict border measures, brief and intensive lockdowns and fast contract-tracing strategies, has proved profitable, with no group circumstances of the virus in 165 days and a complete of 26 deaths because the pandemic started:

1.03am EDT01:03

England ends ‘pingdemic’ for vaccinated

Andrew Sparrow

Totally vaccinated folks in England will now not be legally required to self-isolate upon contact with a optimistic Covid case from Monday, and can as a substitute be suggested to take a PCR check – in a marked shift from guidelines which have led to greater than 14m directions to remain at house.

Ministers have confirmed that the authorized requirement to isolate shall be changed with non-binding recommendation to take a check for the double-jabbed, in addition to these 18 and beneath. And those that do come into contact with the contaminated won’t be informed to isolate whereas ready for his or her outcomes. For individuals who do check optimistic, isolation will proceed:

12.42am EDT00:42

Abstract

Howdy and welcome to at present’s dwell protection of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the meantime New Zealand plans to permit quarantine-free entry to vaccinated travellers from low-risk nations from early subsequent 12 months as a part of a phased reopening of its borders that had been shut final 12 months as a result of pandemic, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern mentioned on Thursday.

Listed here are the opposite key current developments:

The UK is sending low- and middle-income nations who’re struggling to entry vaccines “to the again of the queue” by ordering hundreds of thousands of “overpriced” booster jabs from Pfizer, based on vaccine fairness campaigners from International Justice Now.
A UK authorities scientific adviser has mentioned Covid is unlikely to be eradicated completely as a result of there isn’t a vaccine that’s 95% protecting in opposition to an infection. Prof Andrew Hayward additionally mentioned that Covid would seemingly proceed to mutate, that means true herd immunity was even additional unlikely.
Iran’s supreme chief has mentioned the pandemic is the nation’s “No 1 downside” and should urgently be curbed, as he known as for larger efforts to import and produce vaccines.
Europe’s medication regulator mentioned it’s wanting into three new situations to evaluate whether or not they could be potential side-effects associated to Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, following a small variety of circumstances.
A brand new US apply of transferring asylum-seekers and migrants expelled beneath public well being orders by aircraft to southern Mexico contravenes worldwide regulation, the UN refugee company mentioned.
Thai police fired water cannon, rubber bullets and tear gasoline at protesters in Bangkok for a second consecutive day as demonstrators rallied in opposition to the federal government and its dealing with of the coronavirus disaster.
China’s drug regulator authorised the nation’s first mixed-vaccine trial, an organization concerned within the research has mentioned, amid concern in regards to the efficacy of domestically produced jabs.
Chinese language state media articles quoted a Swiss biologist accusing the US of politicising Covid origin investigations had been quietly deleted, after the Swiss authorities mentioned no such individual exists.
A video of the Republican senator Rand Paul disputing the effectiveness of carrying masks was faraway from YouTube. Its coverage is to ban movies that declare masks don’t play a task in stopping the contraction or transmission of Covid relies on the steering of the World Well being Group – which u-turned final 12 months after initially refraining from recommending folks put on face masks in public.
Authorities in northern Germany have appealed to 1000’s of individuals to get one other shot of Covid vaccine after a police investigation discovered a Purple Cross nurse could have injected them with a saline resolution.
The Australian Olympic Committee condemned the South Australian authorities over its “merciless and uncaring” Olympic choice, which forces athletes who’ve already quarantined in Sydney to finish an extra 14-day house quarantine on return to the state.