Access to subsidies – The £ 500 subsidy will be added to any other financial aid already provided for those who are unemployed or in situations of poverty. The unemployment allowance is currently £ 95 per week. However, those who are forced by the national health system to self-isolate because they are positive for covid or for having come into contact with a sick person can ask for the extra help of 500 pounds. However, the payment can only be received after 1 12 October.
The maxi sanctions arrive – At the same time as the aid, however, the super fines of up to 10,000 for those who do not respect the mandatory precautionary isolation also come into force. The squeeze is part of a wider crackdown on social contacts and the return to the recommendation of work from home decided by Prime Minister Tory in the face of the new increase in recent weeks of Covid-19 cases in Europe and in the Kingdom.
“We will not allow those who transgress to jeopardize the progress made thanks to the majority (of the population) who respect the rules”, warned the Minister of the Interior, Priti Patel, confirming the strengthening of police controls. While the head of Health, Matt Hancock, reiterated that the government reserves further measures if necessary. According to the Times, among the hypotheses concretely under discussion there is also that of a two-week “lockdown of social contacts” (pubs and restaurants included) extended to a large part of England, and perhaps even London, to curb the spiral of new outbreaks without reaching the block of the generality of economic activities or calling into question the recent reopening of schools and universities unlike what was imposed in the spring during the acute phase of the pandemic.
However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson must face winds of rebellion by about fifty ‘libertarian’ deputies of the Tory majority, who would like to subject future restrictions to stringent scrutiny by Parliament through a bipartisan amendment to the six-monthly legislation on the health emergency whose renewal is under discussion from today to the House of Commons.
Epidemic slows down, cases drop to 4 thousand – The restrictions seem to have some effect. In fact, the latest data released by the Ministry of Health record the second consecutive decline in new daily infections, which fell slightly below 6,000 after several days and sharply to 4,004. A downsizing that could be affected by some statistical delay of the weekend, but which is also confirmed on the death front (13 against 17 on Sunday, up to an official total of 42,001 since the beginning of the pandemic) and in hospitalizations and intensive care, stopped at 1727 and 262. Furthermore, the sum of the tests performed in 24 hours remains high – about 230,000, well over 20 million in total -, while the number of those who downloaded in just 5 days climbs to 12.4 million. the tracking app similar to the Italian Immuni made operational later
quite a few postponements last week in England and Wales.
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