Coronavirus Outbreak

**No Smoking** · March 11th, 2020, 01:21

BBC News: Tuesday 10 March 2020
Coronavirus: Airlines cancel thousands of flights

Thousands of flights have been cancelled worldwide as airlines struggle to cope with a slump in demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
Ryanair will stop services to and from Italy from Friday until 8 April, with BA scrapping its routes until 4 April as the country goes into lockdown.

EasyJet has cancelled all of its flights to and from Italy between 10 March and 3 April.
It has said it will operate "rescue flights" in the coming days.

Norwegian Air has also said it will cut about 3,000 flights in the next three months, about 15% of its capacity. It also plans to temporarily lay off "a significant share" of its workforce.

"We have initiated formal consultations with our unions regarding temporary layoffs for flying crew members as well as employees on the ground and in the offices," said chief executive Jacob Schram.

While the restrictions on travel to Italy and China have meant some services have stopped completely, there has also been a general fall in demand as holiday-makers put their plans on hold and firms instruct staff to limit travel.

Read More at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51818492

NS Comment: Italy has gone into lockdown, anyway, so the Ryanair plan to stop flying from Friday 13th March may already be superseded. Tough times for everybody.

**litebulbs** · March 11th, 2020, 23:05

Its weird (or not) that these data have not really made it into the public domain?!

https://www.gov.uk/government/statis...to-2020-season

Seasonal flu

**No Smoking** · March 12th, 2020, 02:14

BBC News: Wednesday 11 March 2020
It's now a pandemic - WHO

The coronavirus outbreak has been labelled a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).

It is a term that the organisation had refrained from using before now.

A pandemic describes a disease that is spreading between people in multiple countries around the world at the same time.

WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was now using the term because of deep concern over "alarming levels of inaction" over the virus.

Read More at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51358459

NS Comment: Nations around the world started late because they were delusional about the outbreak. Now playing catch-up.

**No Smoking** · March 17th, 2020, 02:41

BBC News: Sunday 15 March 2020
Coronavirus: 'Future of UK aviation' at risk, say airlines

The UK's aviation industry may not survive the coronavirus pandemic without emergency financial support, airlines have warned.

Bosses at Virgin Atlantic will write to the prime minister on Monday to ask for emergency financial measures for airlines in the UK.

US travel restrictions will hit all transatlantic routes from Tuesday, further denting the aviation sector.

The government said it was open to supporting firms, including airlines.

In a stark message, industry body Airlines UK said the government's "prevarication" and "bean counting" had to stop.

"We're talking about the future of UK aviation - one of our world-class industries - and unless the government pulls itself together who knows what will be left of it once we get out of this mess," it added.

Read More at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51893151

NS Comment: Really tough times. Destinations closing down, passenger numbers dropping, let's hope the COVID-19 ill-wind blows away before long.

**unwantedB1** · March 17th, 2020, 12:17

Apparently the Fuel Companies and others want cash up front all credit stopped for all Airlines. This needs to be underwritten by the government.

**No Smoking** · March 18th, 2020, 03:27

Originally Posted by unwantedB1

Apparently the Fuel Companies and others want cash up front all credit stopped for all Airlines. This needs to be underwritten by the government.

One can't blame the fuel companies for refusing credit sales. If the airline goes down, getting the debt paid by the liquidators may take forever and may never match the full value of the debt owed. Bo Jo is throwing a lot of money into the virus recovery plan, so let's hope this get's his attention

**No Smoking** · March 24th, 2020, 03:16

Sky News: Monday 23 March 2020
Coronavirus: Sir Richard Branson pledges £215m boost to protect Virgin jobs

Sir Richard Branson has vowed to invest £215m into his Virgin business to protect jobs following the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The businessman made the pledge in a blog post in which he said his companies, which include travel and leisure, were in a "massive battle to survive".

He said COVID-19 was "the most significant crisis the world has experienced" in his lifetime, with his businesses employing more than 70,000 people in 35 countries.

By: Ajay Nair

Read More at: https://news.sky.com/story/coronavir...-jobs-11962134

NS Comment: A knight to the rescue!

**petec** · April 9th, 2020, 12:42

Boris and the other buffoons called leaders need to wake up. The scentific world has NEVER found a cure for a virus since the start of time. They are sacrificing the many to give a stay of execution to the the few. Total madness

**Mono** · April 13th, 2020, 13:45

Originally Posted by petec

Boris and the other buffoons called leaders need to wake up. The scentific world has NEVER found a cure for a virus since the start of time. They are sacrificing the many to give a stay of execution to the the few. Total madness

While I agree that government needs to wake up. There are plenty of viral vaccines and anti-viral medicines.

**No Smoking** · June 23rd, 2020, 23:39

BBC News: Tuesday 23 June 2020
Coronavirus: Lockdown to be relaxed in England as 2m rule eased

Pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers can open from 4 July in England, when social distancing rules will be eased.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people should remain 2m apart where possible but a "one metre plus" rule would be introduced.

Two households in England will also be able to meet indoors and stay overnight - with social distancing.

The prime minister warned that all the steps were "reversible".

The government's chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty, said the relaxation represented a "reasonable balance of risk".

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford and Northern Ireland's Arlene Foster have said the 2m rule will remain in place in their nations for the time being.

Read More at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53152416

NS Comment: Tentative steps, after the huge losses in human lives and the economy.
The reservation on the part of the devolved regions is quite understandable, as everyone is wary of a second wave of the pandemic.