- 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
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 employees’ wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Minimum furlough periods
Any employees you place on furlough must be furloughed for a minimum period of 3 consecutive weeks. When they return to work, they must be taken off furlough. Employees can be furloughed multiple times, but each separate instance must be for a minimum period of 3 consecutive weeks.
Latest Guidance (health)
No new guidance today.
Schools
GCSEs, AS and A level awarding: summer 2020 – Information for schools, students and parents on how qualifications will be graded and awarded in summer 2020. First published 2:50pm, 21 April 2020
Actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak– Updated 19 April 2020.
The general school guidance starts here:-
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
General Guidance
The general coronavirus guidance starts here:-
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
