Coronavirus - 13 November

• UK R number falls to 1.0-1.2 from 1.1-1.3 last week
• Tesco restricts online customers

• Chicago issues a new stay at home advisory
• Caffé Nero enters a CVA



Company news

• Tesco – Tesco has apologised to online customers unable to get on its website and has had to install a queuing system to help it manage the demand. The supermarket points out there has been high demand for Christmas bookings.

• Caffé Nero – The company, which has 800 shops in the UK and a further 200 sites overseas and employs 6,000 workers, is launching a CVA. The company converted many of its shops to takeaway-only services during the first lockdown in March, but trading has been “decimated”.



Other

• There were 1.36 million active UK job adverts in the first week of November, according to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC). Job postings in the North West jumped 36.8% between March and October, while the increase was 33.4% in Wales. By contrast, job postings in London saw an 18.7% fall over the same period, with a 9.3% decline in the West Midlands. Nursing positions rose by more than any other sector, with an increase of 39% since March. There was also an increase in vacancies for food, drink and tobacco process operatives (+53.2%), large goods vehicle drivers (+43.3%), and carpenters and joiners (+37.2%). However, the hospitality and leisure sectors saw big declines, with fewer adverts for bar staff (-48.7%), chefs (-45.6%) and fitness instructors (-36.8%).

• Australia has scrapped plans to allow foreign students back. Australia has closed its borders to all non-citizens and permanent residents, and was trialling the return of students. With foreign students worth about $25.3 billion a year to the Australian economy, the country had hoped to slowly allow overseas students to return in 2021.

• There is a higher percentage of secondary school pupils testing positive for Covid-19 than any other age group, according to figures from the ONS. The study estimated 1.65% of Year 7 to Year 11 students tested positive on 6 November, compared to 1.05% for primary pupils.

• 2,500 mink are set to be culled in Greece after coronavirus was found in two farms there.

• The R number is reported to have fallen to between 1.0 and 1.2 across the UK.

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