Headlines
• Indoor hospitality reopens in the Republic of Ireland
• Ho Chi Minh brings in strict curfew • 40% of UK adults gained weight during pandemic, PHE
• South Africa produces first J&J vaccine locally
• France to mandate vaccines for health workers
World news
• Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam will be placed under a strict overnight curfew from 6pm to 6am, beginning today.
• Indonesia’s government has said small businesses and some shopping malls can reopen but other measures will remain in force until 2 August.
• South African pharmaceutical company Aspen said it is releasing its first batch of vaccines manufactured in Africa. The vaccines are under J&J ip.
• One in five of the 460 key workers that responded to the call for evidence by the all party parliamentary group said they had been off work for a year or more as a result long Covid, 30% for between six months and a year, and 25% for between three and six months.
• The French Parliament has approved Covid passports for entry to bars, restaurants and for long-distance trains and flights. It also makes full vaccination mandatory for health workers and staff in certain popular venues, such as restaurants and cinemas.
• Heathrow estimates it will see 21.5 million passengers in 2021, down from 22.1 million in 2020, and almost 90 million in 2019.
• The Netherlands said it will ease restrictions for travel to all EU countries. • Police, fire, Border Force, transport and freight staff along with supermarket depot and food factory workers will now be able to join a daily workplace test scheme.
• Tanzania has received its first shipment of a million vaccines from Covax.
• Tunisia’s president has sacked the country’s prime minister and suspended parliament after violent mass protests nationwide on Sunday.
• Indoor hospitality in the Republic of Ireland is reopening today. Customers must have official proof they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from the virus within the past 180 days.
• Thameslink and Southern have cut weekday timetables on five routes “until further notice”, and warned that further changes could be required.
• Avanti West Coast has reduced the frequency of its services between London Euston and Manchester, Birmingham and North Wales to “manage staff shortages and ensure a reliable service”.
• A revised timetable with fewer services was also launched by London Northwestern Railway on Saturday.
• Transport for London has warned of line closures and cancellations as more than 300 members of staff are self-isolating.
• Public Health England surveyed 5,000 people and found that more than 40% of adults in England have gained weight during the pandemic – with the average gain c.3kg.
