Headlines
• Covid-19 killed three times more people than flu and pneumonia in the UK, according to the ONS
• Italy has made face masks compulsory in outdoor spaces
• France order new restrictions in Lyon & Lille
• Madrid court rejects partial lockdown as ‘harmful to basic rights’
Company news
Food, Drinks & Household
• Sainsburys – has launched a free NHS drive -through flu jab service for eligible people at 13 UK stores. Anyone entitled to free jabs – such as the elderly, frontline NHS staff, and pregnant women – can use the service.
Transport
• easyJet – has warned it faces losses of more than £800m this year and that it expects to fly at just 25% of normal capacity into next year. “easyJet expects to report a group headline loss before tax in the range of £815 to £845m for the financial year 2020. easyJet’s group headline loss in Q4 is therefore expected to be lower than the loss in Q3. Non -headline items of around £440m are expected to be recognised in the financial year 2020, incorporating hedging ineffectiveness, easyJet’s restructuring programme, impairment of short -term lease contracts and gains from sale and leaseback transactions. In line with easyJet’s dividend policy and in light of the expected loss, the board will not be recommending the payment of a dividend in respect of the year to 30 September 2020. Full results for the year ended 30 September 2020 will be reported on 17 November 2020.
Based on current travel restrictions in the markets in which we operate, easyJet expects to fly c.25% of planned capacity for Q1 2021. We will cover the majority of our pre -existing network with reduced frequency, taking advantage of the European slot waiver mechanism put in place for this winter to best match our capacity against the lower demand that currently exists. We remain focused on cash generative flying over the winter season in order to minimise losses during the first half. We retain the flexibility to ramp capacity back up quickly when we see demand return.”
Other
• Madrid’s regional court has struck down an order that imposed a partial lockdown in the Spanish capital and nine nearby towns. The region had been forced to ban residents from leaving their houses without a valid reason from last Saturday.
• Data released by NHS England shows there are currently 4.2 million people on the waiting list for routine treatment, nearly half of whom have waited longer than 18 weeks, which is three times higher than it was a year ago
• Office for National Statistics analysis show s there were 48,168 deaths due to Covid -19 between January and August 2020, compared to 13,600 from pneumonia. Only 394 were due to flu.
• Italy has made it mandatory to wear facemasks in outdoor spaces across the country. Italians must also wear masks indoors everywhere except in private homes.
• In France, the government will put Lyon and Lille on maximum Covid -19 alert, bringing them in line with Paris and Marseille.
• Japan is to lift travel bans on 12 countries next month, including China, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia.
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