Local and long distance movers

The first stage of Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown kicks in tomorrow in England. People will be allowed to have a coffee or picnic with one person from another household in the park. Care home residents will have more rights to be visited by their loved ones for much-needed respite. And most importantly of all, children will flood back to school and wraparound childcare. Experts will be watching closely to see if the first tentative steps push up virus rates. They warn nothing is guaranteed and if things go badly, future dates in the roadmap could be pushed back. So what can and can’t you do under Step 1, phase 1 of the roadmap? Here is what you need to know. You can (and should) send your child to school Schools in England will reopen from March 8, with primary schools expected to open all at once. Secondary school reopenings will be staggered over the week because their pupils must first take a rapid test at school before they can start in-person lessons. … [Read more...] about Lockdown changes: Ten things you can and can’t do from tomorrow in England

How great is the risk of contracting coronavirus outdoors? The chances of becoming infected with the virus are far slimmer outdoors than indoors. This applies to the original coronavirus as well as to its mutants. This is due to aerosols, which are tiny particles floating in the atmosphere, that play a key role in the spread of the virus. Experts say aerosols pose a smaller risk outdoors. "This has to do with air circulation being far more pronounced outdoors," says Nico Mutters, who heads the Institute for Hygiene and Public Health at Bonn University Hospital. "The winds have a quick diluting effect." Birgit Wehner, an aerosols researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, says the tiny particles we exhale dry and dissipate far quicker outdoors. However, a paper by the Aerosols Association — signed by Wehner and others — states that infections still cannot be ruled out when individuals gather in large groups without keeping a sufficient distance. This means … [Read more...] about Fact check: The risk of catching coronavirus outdoors

THE family of a grade-A student who was killed in a Chinese takeaway have paid tribute to their teenage daughter, while two men are held in custody. Wenjing Xu, also known as Wenjing Lin, 16, had been chatting to friends about a pal's 16th birthday party just before she died yesterday, a schoolmate said. The teen girl died while two injured men, aged 31 and 38, were arrested following the Friday bloodbath in the small town of Ynyswen, near Treorchy, South Wales. Police confirmed Wenjing and the men, both believed to be Chinese, were known to each other. Police initially said Wenjing’s death was “sudden and unexplained” but after a post mortem examination they confirmed she was murdered. South Wales Police said they were treating her death as murder and had launched an investigation with two men currently in custody. Eyewitnesses said the village restaurant was "covered in blood" in the horror. The teenager's family paid a touching tribute to their daughter, … [Read more...] about Family tribute to grade-A student, 16, killed in Chinese takeaway bloodbath as men, 31 & 38, quizzed for murder

Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most important Shiite cleric, was born in 1931 in the Iranian city of Mashhad, but in 1951 he moved to Iraq, where he has lived for the past 70 years. He is a highly esteemed theologian, who first headed the famous Hawza (religious seminary) in the Iraqi city of Najaf, and went on to become the Grand Ayatollah, the country's most senior Shiite dignitary. Over the past 20 years, because of the office he holds, he has gradually become one of Iraq's most influential political figures. Pope Francis will mark a historic visit with Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani in Najaf, Iraq Al-Sistani's involvement in politics was not inevitable. It was not something he sought; rather, he submitted to the requirements of the times. Before this, especially until 2003, when the United States invaded Iraq, he had maintained a low profile — and with good reason. Shiite Muslims constitute the largest denominational group in Iraq, with around 60% of the population, but they were … [Read more...] about Ali al-Sistani: Spiritual leader and stabilizing factor

Schools across England will reopen to all pupils tomorrow in the prime minister's first phase of lockdown easing. Students have spent months learning remotely and those returning to secondary schools will find additional safety measures including face coverings in classrooms and rapid coronavirus tests. Here, Sky News looks at some of the measures that will be carried out to try to keep staff and pupils safe - and the different approaches taken in the other UK nations. England Schools and colleges are reopening to all students in England on Monday, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said "marks a truly national effort to beat" COVID-19 . Advertisement Secondary school and college students will be asked to wear face coverings in classrooms where social distancing cannot be maintained as a new safety measure on their return. The measure - set for review at Easter - is not mandatory, and primary school pupils are not required to wear … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Schools set to reopen across England tomorrow – here’s what to expect