COVID-19 latest UK Update: Britons told no decision imminent on Xmas rules - as UK scientists develop nose spray that protects
Carrefour has agreed to suspend its Black Friday sales operation - due to take place between 27 and 29 November - with France still in lockdown, a spokeswoman told Reuters. French finance minister Bruno Le Maire yesterday called on supermarkets and online retailers to postpone Black Friday as non-essential shops remain closed under national restrictions.
Dr Hans Kluge, who is the World Health Organisation's (WHO) regional director for Europe, has said that this year's festive season will be a different Christmas but that does not mean it cannot be a merry one. He said that during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, community-based groups formed safe solutions of breaking their fast, which involved celebrating virtually or delivering meals to homes for distance celebrations, while a virtual Diwali involved free online events run by municipalities across Europe for short, safe revelries.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Dr Kluge said: Cherish the festive season with those close to you. If it's a large gathering of vulnerable people, you may postpone that gathering until you can safely gather. Despite the cold, if local restrictions permit, gather outside with loved ones for picnics in the park.
Holiday and airline group Jet2 has blamed the pandemic after posting a £111m loss in the six months to September. The loss compares to the £361.5m profit the group made last year, before COVID-19 hit the travel and tourism market.In the six months to September, Jet2 flew 999,000 single sector passengers, compared to more than 10 million at the same point last year.
Only 60.5% of the close contacts of people who tested positive for coronavirus in England were reached through the Test and Trace system in the week ending 11 November, the latest figures show.This is unchanged on the previous week, and is also just above the all-time low of 60.1% for the week to 14 October.
A total of 38.0% of people who were tested for coronvirus in England at a regional site, local site or mobile testing unit that week received their result within 24 hours.This is up slightly from 37.5% in the previous week.Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged that, by the end of June, the results of all in-person tests would be back within 24 hours.Highest number of positive cases in England since May
A total of 167,369 people tested positive for COVID-19 in England at least once in the week to 11 November, according to the latest Test and Trace figures.
This is the highest weekly number since Test and Trace was launched at the end of May and is an increase of 11% in positive cases on the previous week.
Want to know more about the Oxford vaccine? In this video, the head of the trial - Professor Andrew Pollard - explains how it works.
Tom Kerridge: We'll lose 20% of annual turnover from December alone
Michelin-star chef Tom Kerridge, who owns a pub in Marlow and a restaurant in central London, spoke to Sky News about how a lack of clarity from the government over Christmas will affect hospitality businesses like his.
He said that around 20% of his overall annual takings from one of his restaurants are from the month of December alone.
The London restaurant takes a huge amount of its yearly takings in late November and December, he said.
To lose that is incredibly devastating. Hospitality has bent over backwards to create COVID secure environments.
But we have bookings from 3 December. It’s incredibly frustrating.It's not just us that needs to know – it's the guests too. Without any decision making, we can't operate.Coronavirus may have originated in China, and the worst-affected countries (United States, Brazil and India) are in Asia and the Americas, but the sheer scale of the pandemic in Europe is outlined in this WHO tweet...