Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday morning.
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday morning. We’ll have another update for you this evening.
From next month, UK music festivals and other live events are to be protected by a £750m government-backed insurance scheme if they cannot legally go ahead because of Covid restrictions. It’s been broadly welcomed by the industry, although some organisations warn the scheme doesn’t cover events that would become uneconomical in the event of capacity being reduced due to social distancing coming back into force or star performers cancelling appearances.
image sourcePA Media
Rules on the number of people that can meet indoors in Wales are to be lifted from Saturday, when nightclubs will be allowed to reopen and laws around social distancing in workplaces will be lifted. However, First Minister Mark Drakeford has warned against a “free for all”, and says face coverings must still be worn in shops, in health and social care settings, and on public transport.
With the pandemic forcing the cancellation of the usual A-level exams for a second year, and teachers submitting recommendations for grades, analysis suggests there could again be high levels of top grades. There are warnings of a resultant “crush for places” at universities, in the annual pre-results report of the University of Buckingham’s Prof Alan Smithers. With applications to medicine and dentistry courses said to be up 20%, the government is promising more places.
image sourcePA Media
A confidential sexual harassment reporting line is to be introduced for female guests in quarantine hotels after another woman reported being harassed by a male security guard. The government tried to tackle the problem by saying female guests should be supervised by women – but some in quarantine say they rarely see female guards.
image sourceGetty Images
The pandemic has been tough for all businesses but perhaps for those in live events more than most. But could one festival, at least, be in for a Covid bounce? The organisers of the Weston-super-Mare Shanty and Folk Festival – delayed from last year – say the lockdown craze for sea shanties has created additional interest.
image sourceCladdagh Folk
Find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.
image sourceBBC
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