COVID-19 News Bulletin 26/05/2020
Bulletin 26th May 2020
Daily Press Briefing
Todays briefing is being led by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, along with Professor John Newton, who co-ordinates the national testing effort. Mr Hancock started today by stating that the number of deaths is falling and that everyone must maintain their resolve. For the first time since 18 March, there have been no reported deaths in Northern Ireland and that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that overall deaths are the lowest in six weeks. Mr Hancock wanted to discuss today PPE and treatments. On the first subject Mr Hancock said that he has always been very honest in the issues and the worldwide scramble to procure PPE and that production of two billion items of PPE here in the UK is underway. There are also contracts for a further 3.7bn gloves. Mr Hancock was quoted as saying that this will mean, that the UK is not simply keeping up with demand but, we are looking to replenish our stockpiles of equipment. Second on Mr Hancocks agenda was to announce that a new trial for selective NHS patients using an antiviral drug called Remdesivir and that there have already been some promising results in how it can shorten recovery time. Mr Hancock said that this was probably the biggest step forward in the treatment of coronavirus since the crisis began. Prof John Newton says the number of hospital admissions in England was down to 471, the lowest number recorded since data collecting started. Prof Newton also added that the 7-day rolling average number of new cases of coronavirus continues to decrease. Much of the questions from the public and from the press today focused around Dominic Cummings and the recent revelations surrounding his travel during lockdown.
Update from us
The following was included in my last bulletin, but in case you missed it, I wanted to highlight that we have recently been introduced to a Business Interruption Insurance expert who has had a lot of success with claims for dental practice owners.
They operate on a no win, no fee basis, so it’s a no brainer really, especially for principals getting nowhere with their claims.
In summary, they:
Looks at the policy without charge
Advise whether there is potential to claim
Manage the claims process
Negotiate with the insurance company
Achieves payment on account (as the full extent of losses are not yet known)
And charge 10% of recovered monies.
If this is of interest, please let me know and I will arrange for them to make contact to discuss things further.
The following link may be of interest if you missed this a few weeks ago detailing insurance providers offering coronavirus payment holidays and refunds, so do have a read of the below to find out if you are eligible.
https://www.which.co.uk/news/2020/05/fca-tells-insurance-providers-to-offer-coronavirus-payment-holidaysand-
refunds-are-you-eligible/?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=3984909- M_MW_EM_180520
For business owners, the system in order to be able to claim back Statutory Sick Pay related to coronavirus is now open and I’d like to include here what this could mean for you and if you are eligible.
C19 Update from the last few days
Much of the news over the weekend has been dominated by Dominic Cummings, the Prime Ministers’ most senior adviser, and the news that he appeared to not adhere to the lockdown rules. This resulted in a full statement from Mr Cummings over the Bank Holiday weekend, who believes that he has always acted lawfully. However, this news piece is still generating headlines today with anger from many continuing.
How reluctant people will be to get back out there is yet to be seen, but retailers in England will start to reopen in June with open air markets and car showrooms reopening from next week and shops two weeks later. Shops will have to install new safety measures. So we will see all non-essential retailers reopening in England from 15th June. This was announced by Boris Johnson as part of plans to further ease the lockdown. The Prime Minister did state that this is contingent on progress in the fight against coronavirus and that retailers will have to adhere to new guidelines to protect shoppers and workers. Business Secretary Alok Sharma commented that this move is a critical step on the road to rebuilding our economy and will support millions of jobs across the UK.
Elsewhere in the world, the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange reopened today with brokers wearing masks. Over the weekend there was news of certain European countries opening up for the approaching holiday season. Governments around Europe are looking at what can be done to ease border controls to a number of European countries, including the UK. Indeed, Spain stated yesterday that foreign visitors will no longer have to undergo a two-week quarantine from 1st July. I’ve read reports today of certain destinations offering to assist with the costs of holidaying. But this begs the question as to who would be travelling when the UK currently advises against all non-essential travel with a mandatory 14-day quarantine from 8 June, meaning travelling abroad may not be likely anytime soon. Scotland is preparing to ease its lockdown restrictions from Friday. However, the WHO are warning of a second peak of coronavirus cases should lockdown restrictions be lifted too soon. The WHO’s Head of Emergencies stated yesterday that the world was right in the middle of the first wave of infection.
Meanwhile closer to home, the weekend saw the temporary closure of Weston General Hospital in Weston-Super-Mare, which on Monday stopped accepting new patients due to a high number of coronavirus cases. It would be interesting to see if this rise in cases is a result of the many pictures over recent weeks of packed beaches, car parks and public spaces as people were out enjoying the sunshine.
Daily update on the UK market
(taken just prior to close today)
Interestingly, markets were up overall today, showing that some of the news written about above, as the world is preparing to ease many of its restrictions, is having a positive effect on the markets, or at least for now. Meanwhile, for those with an interest in crypto currencies, today did see a slight downturn as at 15:00 this afternoon.
Should you have any concerns or questions, we are here for our clients and will happily arrange a telephone or video call appointment to provide guidance, please either call our practice mobile 07543 368 478 or email enquiries@money4dentists.com to arrange your appointment.
We are here to work through the current situation with you, so please do get in touch.