Coronavirus news you may have missed overnight: Bristol to enter ‘Tier 1 Plus’ restrictions as France announces second national lockdown
Efforts to slow second wave of Covid-19 infections continue across UK
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Your support makes all the difference.The coronavirus pandemic is continuing to affect the lives of Britons and people throughout the world, with scientists warning that the second wave could last until April in a “worst-case scenario”.
Restrictions imposed in different parts of the UK to curb the spread of the virus are being monitored closely to measure their effectiveness.
Here is your daily summary of coronavirus news you may have missed overnight.
Bristol says it is entering ‘Tier 1 Plus’ restrictions
Bristol has announced it is entering a self-declared “Tier 1 Plus” category of coronavirus restrictions within the next few days.
Mayor Marvin Rees said the measures will include tighter enforcement, greater local control over test and trace, Covid marshals patrolling the city and a targeted focus on working adults between the ages of 30 and 60 years old.
He explained that the approach means the city remains in Tier 1 but with the addition of “targeted interventions” to influence people’s behaviour and further curb the spread of Covid-19.
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council told The Independent that the phrase “Tier 1 Plus” was coined locally and does not come from government.
France to enter second lockdown amid record coronavirus cases
French president Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will introduce a new coronavirus lockdown from Friday.
It comes as average daily infections have more than doubled from 17,000 to 36,000 in the two weeks since the president’s last televised address. These represent a record level of new infections in the country, more than seven times the peak from the first wave earlier this year.
Mr Macron said France was “overwhelmed by the pace at which the virus is spreading”, which was “worse than even the most pessimistic projections”.
The new lockdown is similar to the first national lockdown that French residents had imposed on them in March, which was one of the strictest in the world.
Dozens of Scottish hospital patients discharged into care homes after testing positive for Covid-19
A Public Health Scotland report has found that dozens of hospital patients in Scotland who tested positive for coronavirus were discharged into care homes during March and April.
Between 1 March and 21 April, 3,599 people were discharged from hospitals to care homes, with the majority of patients (81.9 per cent) not being tested for Covid-19.
Just 650 patients were tested, and of those, 78 received a positive result for the virus while in hospital.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the report concluded that allowing for other factors, such as the size of a care home, hospital discharges “were not found to have contributed to a significant higher risk of an outbreak”.
Public Health Scotland will now carry out further work to produce a more details understanding of coronavirus outbreaks in care homes.
Regional police forces will enforce Covid laws ‘as they see fit’ over Christmas
Regional police forces will enforce coronavirus laws “as they see fit” over the Christmas period, senior officers have said.
Martin Hewitt, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), said it was too early to predict what restrictions could be put in place when the festive season arrives.
Speaking to a press conference on Wednesday, he said: “We are providing guidance at a national level and doing everything we can to achieve consistency, but the system we have in this country is that we have independent police forces that are led by their chief constable or commissioner.
“Each of those individuals will operationally deploy in the way they see fit.”
Oregon health official dressed as clown while announcing coronavirus deaths
A senior health official in Oregon made the bizarre decision to dress as a clown during the state’s latest coronavirus announcement.
Dr Claire Poch, a senior health adviser for the Oregon Health Authority, made the clip in white and red clown makeup and a red tie with a polka dot shirt.
With a straight face and rather sombre tone, she announces statistics on recorded cases of the virus and deaths while wearing the costume. Ms Poch announced 38,160 cases of Covid-19 in Oregon, with the statewide total for Covid-19 deaths standing at 608.
The costume was actually part of a discussion on celebrating Halloween safely while the pandemic continues.
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