Main points from today Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, led the briefing. 165,221 positive tests an increase 4,076 from yesterday.  Total deaths 26,097, an increase of 765 from yesterday.  The total now includes deaths in care homes and in the community from 2nd March to 28th April, which was a total of 3,811 during that period. Latest Guidance (employment and business) No new guidance today, although many reports that the furlough payments from HMRC are being paid. General CJRS guidance starts here:- www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: step by step guide for employers Work out 80% of your employees’ wages to claim through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Check if you can claim for your employees’ wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Latest Guidance (health) No new guidance today. Schools – Read More…

Main points from today Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, led the briefing. Testing on track to reach 100,000 by end of April.  Current capacity is 73,400. 763,387 tests, 161,145 positive tests an increase of 3,996 from yesterday.  21,678 deaths in hospital, an increase of 586 from yesterday. From tomorrow Government to publish figures for deaths in care homes and deaths in hospital. Expanding testing to:- Asymptomatic patients and staff in care homes and NHS hospitals. All over 65’s and their households where there are symptoms. Anyone who has to go out to work and their households where there are symptoms.  Latest Guidance (employment and business) General CJRS guidance starts here:- www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: step by step guide for employers Work out 80% of your employees’ wages to claim through – Read More…

Main points from today Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, led the briefing. £60,000 life assurance scheme announced for NHS and social care workers. On track to reach 100,000 tests by end of April. Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced that small businesses will be entitled to new loans of up to £50,000 backed by a 100% government guarantee. 157,149 positive tests an increase of 4,301 from yesterday. 21,092 deaths up 360 from yesterday.  Latest Guidance (employment and business) General CJRS guidance starts here:- www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: step by step guide for employers Work out 80% of your employees’ wages to claim through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Updated information about the calculator for employees who are paid variable amounts. 8:15am, 27 April 2020 Check if you can claim for your employees’ – Read More…

Main points from today Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps (thanks Google!), led the briefing. Up to £27.5 million of support for the transport sector. Spare capacity in public transport to be used to assist with logistics. Drones to be used to deliver medical supplies and equipment. No British tourist stranded abroad on cruise ships. 28,532 tests yesterday, 143,464 positive tests, an increase of 5,386 from yesterday.  Total deaths increased by 684 to 19,506. Essential workers displaying symptoms and members of their household can use the online portal (link below) to be tested. Latest Guidance (employment and business) Furloughed workers to receive full parental leave entitlement – Furloughed workers planning to take paid parental or adoption leave will be entitled to pay based on their usual earnings rather than a furloughed pay – Read More…

Main points from today Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, led the briefing. Employers of essential workers can obtain a test for employees via the Gov website as of now.  Essential workers and those in their household will be able to obtain the test from tomorrow.  All free of charge. Test, track and trace procedure launched.  Testing increasing to 100,000 tests a day by the end of April.  Current capacity is up to 51,000 per day, an increase of 11,000 from yesterday. When the number of new cases begins to fall contact tracing will be key.  The Government is hiring 18,000 new recruits to trace coronavirus infections. Latest Guidance (employment and business) www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: step by step guide for employers Work out 80% of your employees’ wages to claim – Read More…

Main points from today Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, led the briefing. Confident that testing would rise to 100,000 tests a day by the end of April. Social distancing measures are having an effect, but we are ‘not out of the woods yet.’ Any reduction to lockdown measures now could lead to a second peak and a second period of lockdown. Latest Guidance (employment and business) HMRC have confirmed that in the first full day of operation (to midnight on Monday 20th April):- 185,000 employers submitted claims 1,300,000 employees reported as furloughed The total value of claims was £1.5bn www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: step by step guide for employers Check if you can claim for your employees’ wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Latest Guidance (health) No new guidance – Read More…

Main points from today Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, led the briefing. 1 billion items of PPE have been delivered.  Further PPE being sourced from around the world and in conjunction with 159 UK manufacturers. Team from Oxford University will begin human trials on a Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday this week. 533,342 tests, 129,044 positive, an increase of 4,310.  17,366 hospital deaths, an increase of 852 from yesterday Latest Guidance (employment and business) Confirmation from HMRC that there is no requirement for a written agreement between an employer and employee that the employee will do no work while on furlough.  This is despite the opposite stated in the Treasury Direction published last week. www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: step by step guide for employers Check if you can claim for your – Read More…

Main points from today Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, led the briefing. HMRC opened the CJRS at 8am today and by 4pm 140,000 businesses had submitted applications, covering over 1,000,000 people. Payments will be made to businesses within 6 working days. Two new initiatives to support innovative businesses through the Future Fund and Innovate UK. 501,379 tests, with 19,316 tests yesterday.  124,743 positive tests an increase of 4,676 from yesterday.  16,509 hospital deaths an increase of 449 from yesterday. Latest Guidance (employment and business) The online service used to claim went live this morning: www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: step by step guide for employers – a seven page guide to using the CJRS. First published 7:06pm, 17 April 2020. Check if you can claim for your employees’ wages through the Coronavirus – Read More…

Main points from today Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, led the briefing and announced that the Government has launched a Covid-19 taskforce to help efforts to develop a vaccine ‘as soon as possible.’ Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme extended to end June (see below). Chief Scientific Officer, Sir Patrick Vallance, was confident that NHS capacity would not be breached during the pandemic. Latest Guidance (employment and business) Chancellor extends furlough scheme to end of June – This afternoon the Treasury have announced that the CJRS has been extended to the end of June.  Previously it was in place from beginning March to end of May.  This would appear to be because large employers, proposing to make over 100 employees redundant, would need to start the minimum 45 day consultation process imminently in – Read More…

Main points from today Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, led the briefing and announced that the lockdown in the UK would be extended for at least 3 more weeks. 103,093 positive tests and 13,729 deaths, a rise of 861 from yesterday. Evidence that social distancing measures are being successful but too early to make any changes. 5 points would be considered when looking at relaxing lockdown measures:- Sufficient critical care capacity in the NHS. A sustained and consistent fall in the daily rate of deaths. The rate of infection decreasing. Sufficient testing capacity. Any adjustments do not result in a second peak. Latest Guidance (employment and business) Claim for your employees’ wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – updated at 1.39pm yesterday.  Major change is the date that a furloughed – Read More…