British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will warn the UK public that it will have to learn to live with Covid in the long term when he sets out his winter plan to combat the coronavirus.
Mr Johnson is said to be “dead set” on avoiding another lockdown as the country fast approaches the flu season, with millions having returned to schools and workplaces last week.
He is hoping to rely on vaccines and booster shots to avoid another nationwide shutdown that would wreak havoc on the recovering economy.
Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said on Monday a potential vaccine-passport policy remains on the table and is “part of the toolbox” at ministers’ disposal.
Her comments came after Health Secretary Sajid Javid ditched a plan to introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs and large events in England, saying “we shouldn't be doing things for the sake of it”.
If given the go-ahead from scientific advisers, Mr Johnson will introduce vaccinations for children aged 12 to 15 and offer autumn booster shots to millions of adults.
He also wants to scrap the travel traffic-light system and roll back the rule that requires fully immunised travellers to take PCR tests.
Mr Johnson is expected to announce his winter plan to the public at a press conference on Tuesday and to MPs before the House of Commons rises on Wednesday.
The plan will reportedly say that vaccine passports could become a requirement if the country’s National Health Service is on the cusp of being overwhelmed by Covid patients.
The package will also lay out rules on the wearing of masks in indoor public places. Social distancing may also be reintroduced.
Speaking during a visit to a training academy in Leicester, the prime minister remained tight-lipped about his strategy but urged the 10 per cent of eligible people who have not received a shot to have one.
“Don’t forget that the vast majority of people who are suffering seriously from Covid are unvaccinated,” he said. “Very sadly, people who are still succumbing to Covid, dying from Covid, are the unvaccinated, so please go and get your jab.”
He said: “What we want to do is avoid vaccine passports, if we possibly can.
“That’s the course we’re on but I think you’ve got to be prudent and you’ve got to keep things in reserve in case things change.”
A representative for the government said another lockdown over winter would be considered only as a “last resort”.
Mr Johnson is also reportedly planning to launch a “flu-shot blitz” which would be backed up by a large-scale advertising drive urging people to receive vaccines for both Covid and influenza.
Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour party, has said he would urge people to continue to use “practical measures” such as face masks to prevent the virus from spreading.
He said: “Nobody wants a further lockdown because it has a huge impact on people’s lives and, of course, it impacts the economy and businesses.
“The best way to ensure we don’t have that further lockdown is to go cautiously and to continue with practical measure like masks on public transport and enclosed spaces.
A report published in The Lancet on Monday stated that there may be no need for booster shots as current vaccines are already highly effective at reducing hospital admissions and serious illness.
Many countries around the world have begun giving a third vaccine dose to the general population to protect them from more transmissible variants, such as the Delta strain.
But The Lancet report questioned this strategy and said additional supplies should instead be given to poorer countries with low vaccination rates.
“Taken as a whole, the currently available studies do not provide credible evidence of substantially declining protection against severe disease, which is the primary goal of vaccination,” said lead author Dr Ana-Maria Henao-Restrepo, of the WHO.
“If vaccines are deployed where they would do the most good, they could hasten the end of the pandemic by inhibiting further evolution of variants.”
The report comes after another 29,173 Covid infections were recorded in the UK on Sunday, as were 56 deaths within 28 days of a positive test result.
As of September 12, almost 81 per cent of people in the UK aged 16 and over had been fully vaccinated. Almost 90 per cent have had at least one of two vaccine doses.
A senior government source told The Telegraph newspaper that Mr Johnson would tell the public that “this is the new normal” and “we need to learn to live with Covid”.
The source added: “The vaccines are a wall of defence. The autumn and the winter do offer some uncertainty, but the prime minister is dead set against another lockdown.”
Speaking to Sky News this morning, Ms Coffey said: “When we had a variety of regulations, we said we’d go back to Parliament every six months to see if those regulations were still necessary, but also some of the ideas that we wanted to consider are still part of the toolbox, like vaccine passports.
“Again, we said we were considering bringing these items in but it’s important that we look at exactly what benefits that will bring, and right now the health secretary indicated – although we haven’t made a formal decision – that he does not think it is necessary for the vaccine passports to be introduced by the end of the month.
“But the prime minister will be setting out tomorrow a lot more of the detail of the road map ahead, preparing for winter.”
Prof Neil Ferguson, whose modelling was instrumental to the UK going into lockdown in March last year, said experts were seeing “slow increases in case numbers, hospitalisations and deaths”. He said he was supportive of booster shots.
Prof Ferguson, of Imperial College London and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that in the absence of social distancing measures, which he did agree with, “we are reliant on immunity building up in the population”.
He added: “That happens two ways – one through vaccination and one through people getting infected, and so the faster we can roll out additional vaccination, the better in terms of stopping people getting severely ill but also in reducing transmission.”
Prof Ferguson said the UK had been leading in Europe on the vaccination front until recently, when countries including as Ireland, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal “have got higher vaccination levels than us and that’s largely because they have rolled out vaccination of 12- to 15-year-olds faster than us”.
He said these nations relied heavily on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is “somewhat more effective” against the Delta variant when compared with the AstraZeneca shot.
Prof Ferguson said those EU nations “also vaccinated more recently and we know now that vaccine effectiveness decays over time. We always expected that, and so they have more immunity in the population”.
The Lancet’s editor-in-chief, Richard Horton, said while the UK was steaming ahead on the vaccine front, it has the second-highest number of infections of any country after the US.
He told Sky News: “We’re seeing hospitalisations rise by about 5 per cent every week. There are 1,000 new deaths every single week.
“We’ve got 1,000 people on ventilators across the country. In others words, the pandemic hasn’t gone away yet.
“So, we’re in a very finely balanced situation – great on vaccination but the virus is still out there, it’s still transmitting, and so I hope that in the Covid winter plan, while we celebrate the vaccination schedule, we’re also cautious as we go into winter and, of course, the flu season, which could add insult to injury.”
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
The%20Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Movie
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, Friday, March 29, 5pm at The Sevens, Dubai
How it works
A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank
Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night
The charge is stored inside a battery
The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode
A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes
This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode
When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again
The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge
No limit on how many times you can charge
Coming 2 America
Directed by: Craig Brewer
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones
3/5 stars
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
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'Nope'
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EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
