Coronavirus pandemic

Germany has removed France, Greece, Switzerland and parts of Spain from its list of coronavirus risk areas. The change comes into force from Sunday, and means people arriving from these places will no longer be required to present a negative test or quarantine for 10 days. Countries such as Greece and Spain, which rely heavily on tourism , have seen their economies suffer as a result of coronavirus travel restrictions. Watch video 02:55 Greece starts welcoming back tourists Air travelers still face restrictions The relaxed rules will only apply to those traveling by land. Anyone arriving by plane will still have to present a negative test result, proof of vaccination, or proof of recovery from the virus before their departure. In Spain, Catalonia with its coastal city Barcelona, as well as the Costa Brava and Madrid will no longer be classed as risk areas from Sunday. A number of other places were also removed from the travel risk list , …

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Published 20 March 2020 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic The Isle of Man has recorded its first two cases of coronavirus, the Manx government has confirmed. Chief Minister Howard Quayle said on Friday the second case was a person who returned from the UK, but he gave no details. The island confirmed its first case on Thursday evening, a man who had returned from a trip to Spain. Mr Quayle has announced increased measures to contain the spread of the virus. The Villa Marina, Gaiety Theatre and many of the island's National Sport Centre facilities would also be shut. The recording of details of passengers travelling to the island would be "strengthened" to help police enforce the new laws requiring all arrivals to self-isolate for a 14-day period , Mr Quayle said. He urged against "non-essential travel", called on …

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Published 30 July 2020 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic The reopening of pubs, restaurants and cafes indoors in Wales has been confirmed for Monday. Hospitality businesses had already been allowed to open outdoors in Wales, and indoors in other parts of the UK. They have been shut since the middle of March, just before the country went into lockdown. First Minister Mark Drakeford said he would be "pleased" to eat indoors in pubs that take social distancing measures. "We said a couple of weeks ago that, provided everything went according to plan, we would be able to reopen indoor hospitality - cafes, restaurants, bars and so on, on 3 August," Mr Drakeford told radio station Heart South Wales. "It depended upon the state of the coronavirus. We've had the latest checks. We're confident now that we'll be able to go ahead." …

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Published 22 March 2020 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic All schools on the Isle of Man will close from the end of Monday to most pupils, the government said. Only the children of those "critical to the island's coronavirus response" will then be able to attend, Chief Minister Howard Quayle said as the number of positive cases rose by three to five. All ports will close to non-Manx residents from 09:00 GMT on Monday. Pubs, restaurants and cafes will shut from midnight on Sunday but can still offer takeaway and delivery services. Health Minister David Ashford said the latest patients to have tested positive for the disease were self-isolating and not in a "hospital setting". The island's five secondary schools, along with nine primary schools that have special needs educational support, would remain open to the children of …

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Published 20 March 2020 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic A dedicated coronavirus advice hotline for people on the Isle of Man has been launched. The 111 telephone service will be managed by medical staff and is "purely for people concerned about Covid-19", Health Minister David Ashford said. It would allow people with concerns to be dealt with "very quickly" and was an "innovation for the island", he added. The Isle of Man confirmed its first positive case for the virus on Thursday. The telephone line is now the only way members of the public can be "directed for testing" and service staff will notify people of their results. Previously, members of the public had been advised to call their GP or the out-of-hours Manx Emergency Doctor Service for advice on coronavirus. The hotline was modelled on, but is separate …

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On June 14, 1940 , the day the German army invaded and occupied Paris, a small group of scientists marched to the White House with grave news for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. U.S. military technology, they said, was utterly unprepared to take on the Axis powers. They urged the president to create a new agency—a dream team of techies and scientists—to help win the war. In response, Roosevelt assembled an agency that became known as the Office of Scientific Research and Development, or OSRD. Led by Vannevar Bush, the former dean of the MIT School of Engineering, the office ultimately employed more than 1,500 people and directed thousands of projects around the country. By the end of the war, it had spawned military inventions such as the proximity fuse, radar, and—after one of its programs spun off to become the Manhattan Project—the atomic bomb. OSRD’s breakthroughs went far beyond missiles and bombs. It supported the first-ever mass production of penicillin in part by …

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A Michelin-starred restaurant in England has come up with a fresh twist on the traditional takeaway service. Wood Manchester is offering its tasting menus for customers to cook at home. Restaurant owner Simon Wood, a winner of the reality TV programme Masterchef UK, insists that the aim of the service is not to make a profit but to simply keep the restaurant ticking over amid the coronavirus pandemic. "The process that we undertake to keep the standards that we want is very difficult and it’s a whole new skill-set to pick this restaurant up and deliver it nationally into people’s kitchens and dining rooms," he said. "It is only keeping our heads above water though, that’s the endgame here." "We’re trying to hit the corporate market so if the boss wants to treat his team of twelve people, we offer a three-course menu. With the home delivery service, they can cook along at home or on a Zoom call, instead of the office party." Watch the full report from Wood …

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Vaccine row: EU 'blinked first' over UK says Iain Duncan Smith Sign up to receive our rundown of the day's top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Insiders said the US biotech company was delaying signing a contract with the EU over production concerns. But Brussels critics suggested the EU's ongoing row with Anglo-Swedish pharma group AstraZeneca had led to the cautious approach from Novavax executives. Related articles EU plot to 'seize control' of AstraZeneca supply amid production push UK set to send warning to EU in last-ditch bid to stop export ban Actions have consequences. This is rebounding on them Andrew Bridgen Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: "The UK …

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The yin-yang journey of Hollywood’s two best bros. Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage A koan, courtesy BuzzFeed’s Tim Unkenholz : “When Affleck rises, Damon must fall. This is the balance of the universe.” He was responding to the events of this summer, as Affleck rode a tide of public goodwill over his romantic reunion with Jennifer Lopez, while Damon’s Stillwater press tour was derailed by his apparent admission that he had only recently stopped using homophobic slurs. (He later attempted to walk back the confession, leaving it unclear what he was actually trying to say.) But has the pattern held up over the course of their careers? Starting with their joint breakout on Good Will Hunting and ending with their most recent shared IMDb credit The Last Duel , let’s examine the shifting fortunes of the Matt-and-Ben brothership. Late ’90s: Just Two Guys Having a Good Time With their moms. Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage With Good Will Hunting , …

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The French government has proposed to extend the country's COVID-19 state of emergency until July 31 next year. A draft law for the extension will be submitted to France's parliament for a vote, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday. The current state of emergency bill in France - allowing the government to impose coronavirus-related restrictions - is set to expire on November 15. Under current rules, citizens must use a COVID-19 health pass to access bars, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, and other venues. Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Attal told reporters that the extended state of emergency would help France deal with the health crisis. But he added that the health pass requirement would be lifted "as soon as we can". "Thanks to this text, we will be able to take all the necessary measures if necessary," he said. "There is a non-negligible risk of an epidemic resurgence this winter," Attal added. "We must stay vigilant until next summer." …

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