I remind you of these things not to mock the Government’s lack of foresight, but to question whether it has ever been straight with us. Suppose that back in March 2020 the Prime Minister had said that he would micro-manage our lives by law, not for at least three weeks but for at least 17 months. Would the British people would have submitted as meekly as they did? I doubt it.
Archiv: (endless) state of emergency / curfews / mass house arrests / lockdowns (quarantines) / zones / production ban / art ban / sports ban / assembly ban / etc
It doesn’t matter what you say, Prime Minister – June 21 will still be our Freedom Day
No wonder the Brothers Grim, Whitty and Vallance, looked ill at ease as they attempted to pass off hugely encouraging charts as looming calamity. Because the physical Covid numbers are now so low, they resorted to percentages instead. Hospital admissions had increased “by 50 per cent in a week”, warned the Chief Medical Officer.
A 50 per cent increase in Covid patients sounds really bad, doesn’t it? Well, it isn’t. NHS England reported 137 Covid admissions on June 12
‚Hammer blow‘: PM’s Freedom Day delay ‚devastating‘ for country
LBC has been inundated with calls from people furious at the announcement.
Last night one contributor told Iain Dale the entire political class were „utterly ruining“ the economy, hospitality and aviation industries.
Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said in a speech today the blame lies squarely with Downing Street.
Facemasks forever, WFH, self-isolation and travel quarantine to stay, and MORE restrictions in winter? Leaked Step 4 Whitehall document reveals how ’new normal‘ could look even AFTER July 19 new Freedom Day – as Boris faces Commons revolt in vote tonight
– Boris Johnson is facing the prospect of a damaging revolt by dozens of MPs in crucial lockdown vote tonight
– Government all-but guaranteed victory as Labour is backing the move but opposition seems to be growing
– Leaked Whitehall document has suggested that a number of restriction will stay even after new July 19 date
HERD IT ALL BEFORE: Tory MPs warn Freedom Day will be delayed again and say they don’t believe PM’s assurances it will go ahead on July 19
„It seems to me we don’t know anything today that we didn’t know when the PM was telling us he was happy to move ahead on June 21.
„We’ve heard Ministers say they’re ‘pretty confident’ about lifting restrictions before and then do the opposite.
„Don’t blame the public if many weary people simply don’t believe such assurances anymore
#live Downing Street Protest | Freedom Day Debate
(video)
In Orwellian Britain, lockdown is perpetual and sickness is health
Embracing the statist doctrine of a permanent war on Covid will end badly for the Conservatives
Boris Johnson blasted for ‘completely unjustifiable’ June 21 Freedom Day delay by furious MPs
FURIOUS Tory MPs today mauled Boris Johnson as he prepared to announce a “completely unjustifiable” delay to Freedom Day.
The PM is facing an angry Conservative revolt over plans to slam the brakes on his roadmap, which he is expected to confirm at a somber press conference tonight.
The delay to freedom is entirely Boris Johnson’s fault. Don’t let him tell you otherwise
The only reason you can’t do whatever you want is because the PM prefers to do whatever he wants, says Fleet Street Fox
How many times will it be ‚one last heave‘ until we’re free?
When the first lockdown was called, in March 2020, it was supposed to be a case of maintaining social distancing for three weeks so that we could prevent A&E units from being overwhelmed. Then it became a case of suppressing the virus until we had a vaccine. Then we had a vaccine and we were asked to lock down until it had been rolled out among vulnerable groups. That was achieved, on schedule, in the middle of February, but no, we had to stay locked down until the over-50s – who had accounted for 99 per cent of deaths – had been offered at least one jab. That target was reached in early April. But now we are being asked to wait until the entire adult population has had at least one jab….
‚Freedom Day‘ is set to be delayed by the Prime Minister
Boris Johnson will plead with the nation to make „one last heave“ to freedom as he announces a delay of four weeks in lifting lockdown restrictions in England.
Secret report by respected US government laboratory concluded in May last year that it was plausible coronavirus LEAKED from Wuhan lab – and said theory deserved further investigation
Scientists at the the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, near Berkeley, analyzed the genetic makeup of the virus to try to understand how it evolved.
They passed their May 27, 2020 findings on to the State Department in October. The five-month delay was not explained.
On January 15 the State Department published a fact sheet about COVID-19, which said that ‚circumstantial‘ evidence suggested a lab leak theory was possible.
The secret document the California lab produced was not known about until Monday, when The Wall Street Journal reported on its existence.
Curfew had no significant effect on hospital admissions, says acute care leader
(29.04.2021)
He also said that implementing the curfew was necessary, even if measuring the effects are statistically challenging because it was enforced along with many other measures.
„When the curfew was introduced, the calculation was that it would reduce new infections by 10 percent. If you look at the course of hospital admissions over time, we saw no effect whatsoever with the introduction of the curfew,“ Kuipers explained on Wednesday evening on the talk show Beau.
‚We can’t rule anything out‘: Minister hints No10 is prepared to cave in to SAGE pressure and push back June 21 Freedom Day after scientists warned UK is ‚on a knife-edge‘ due to Indian variant outbreak
– Sources in No10 say there is now a ’50-50′ chance of June 21 being delayed in a notable shift in tone
– Professor Ravi Gupta urged ministers to push back June 21 deadline to allow more people to get vaccinated
– Cambridge University microbiologist said there were early signs the third wave of the pandemic had begun
– Professor Susan Michie echoed his comments saying Britain could see its cases rise quickly in coming weeks
Save us from a techno-fascist Covid dictator
Among his big ideas was to use mobile phone masts and bank data to track our movements, jinxed, he grumbled, by the human rights and data protection laws – but while proposing the greatest, most horrific invasion of our civil liberties, he also admitted that it was “crackers” that he and Boris Johnson were in such positions of power. What we needed, he said, was a “Covid dictator”. Who? Dom nominated a chap called Marc Warner, who apparently runs a data company. Dom would have given Mr Warner “as close to kingly authority as the state has legally to do stuff, and pushing the barriers of legality”. This is quite mad, and monstrous.
We can’t let them cancel Freedom Day because of another ’scariant‘
(18.05.2021)
How blissfully everyone slipped back into near-normality on Monday, and with such a huge sigh of relief. Lunch with friends in a restaurant, holding your mother’s hand without fear, tickets for a show. Small pleasures, but how sweet they taste. Just as our long hibernation felt almost at an end and we began to believe we could slough off that lockdown lassitude and banish the gnawing worm of anxiety, here comes the… Indian variant. Bwa-hah-hah-hah!
The pattern should be familiar by now
CDC looking into possible link between heart problem and Covid vaccines in young people
(24.05.2021)
The CDC did not respond to questions about the exact number of reports. However, NBC News identified at least 55 suspected cases nationwide.
That number includes 14 cases under investigation by the Department of Defense among members of the military, but it may be an underestimate. And some, but not all, state departments of health are tracking such cases.
Covid-19 vaccine isn’t linked to heart problems in young people — but doctors still worry parents will be scared to vaccinate their children
(25.05.2021)
Pediatricians worry parents will misinterpret a finding by advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and become scared — for no reason — to vaccinate their children against Covid-19.
Dawn of vaccine passports: EU set to agree this week to allow in British tourists who can prove they’ve had Covid jabs with UK and US are both tipped to join Europe’s ‚green list‘
The European Union’s new plan would see member states adopting uniform entry requirements, meaning vaccinated holidaymakers from low-risk countries – such as the UK – would be able to enter France, Spain, Italy and other hotspots.
Britain will be included on an EU expanded ‚green list‘ of permitted holiday travel on Wednesday as the bloc’s ambassadors are set to confirm a European Commission proposal lift restrictions on well-vaccinated nations, it is understood.
It will also be recommended that member states prepare digital portals allowing Britons to use the NHS app as a vaccine passport, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Ibrahim Souri was documenting Israeli police activity in Ajami, Jaffa last night. An officer told him to look away. „I’m filming, is that prohibited? You want to shoot, go ahead,“ he says. „You’ve been aiming at me for an hour. Shoot, it’s all documented.“ Police then shot him.
(13.05.2021)
They fired a rubber bullet that hit his face. The name might conjure up this image of a bouncy little ball, but rubber bullets can be as big as your palm, and they are very much still bullets.
That same night, Israeli police shoot again down that same road.
„Don’t shoot, there are children there! My son is there!“ a Palestinian man yells.
„Whoever is out at this time is not a child,“ an officer replies, while another fires a stun grenade for no apparent reason.
Colombia’s Leaders Want to Stain Their Country with the Blood of the Working Class
The national strike in Colombia that began on April 28 was called for to fight against a bill that would increase taxes on goods of everyday consumption, public services, and pensions, among other things. It was a bill that would directly impact the working class that is already suffering due to the impact of the pandemic and the lockdown.
Netanyahu calls in Border Police as Lod riots spiral out of control
Public Security Minister Amir Ohana declared a state of emergency in the city after a meeting on Lod’s violent clashes with Netanyahu and other officials. Defense Minister Benny Gantz said all means would be made available to police trying to bring back order, which includes imposing curfews.
WHO, Germany launch new global hub for pandemic and epidemic intelligence
The WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence is part of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme and will be a new collaboration of countries and partners worldwide, driving innovations to increase availability and linkage of diverse data; develop tools and predictive models for risk analysis; and to monitor disease control measures, community acceptance and infodemics. Critically, the WHO Hub will support the work of public health experts and policy-makers in all countries with insights so they can take rapid decisions to prevent and respond to future public health emergencies.
I can’t vote for any party that won’t trust us with freedom: With a heavy heart, TIM NEWARK says politicians‘ obsession with Covid lockdowns and zero carbon targets leaves him no choice
This is, I know, a shocking thing to say because democracy is a hard-won, valued right in our country, but I cannot bring myself to support any mainstream party in local elections on Thursday.
Why? Because all of them appear determined to reduce my freedoms, whether it’s the lingering restrictions of lockdown or new plans to change our very lifestyles thanks to zero carbon targets.
Our epidemic is over, so why are we slower to unlock than countries with higher infection rates?
The BBC has worked out that 44 per cent of local authority areas in England, and more than half in Scotland, did not record a single Covid fatality in April. Hardly surprising given the low incidence of the virus. According to the ONS, around one person in a thousand was infected in the week up to 24 April – down from one in 50 in January.
Why, then, are we being so slow to open up?
AG launches probe into police conduct at Meron as local chief takes blame
„The Police Department for Internal Investigations will begin reviewing the events to see if there is any criminal culpability on the part of members of the police in the disaster,“ a spokesperson for Mandelblit said, adding that the police were instructed not to interview any of their members.
.. Moments before the incident that killed 44 at Mount Meron, Israel
Israel’s Netanyahu booed by bereaved protesters at stampede site
Calls are growing for a public inquiry in Israel, after the country’s largest gathering since the start of the pandemic ended in tragedy.
At least 44 people were killed in a stampede at a religious festival at Mount Meron, where tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered on Thursday night.
The investigation will focus on one exit the police closed for some reason, just as people were trying to push out. Despite what seems like no organization, there were separate entrances/exit. And, one exit despite the panic was blocked as people tried desperately to get out.
Israel Police Reject Criticism Over Deadly Lag Ba’Omer Stampede
The police opened a preliminary investigation into the deadly event as they face criticism for their decision to block one of the passages on the site.
„The event is under investigation, but it’s worth noting that this year, there are fewer people on the mountain than in previous years.“
Curfew was necessary but did not cut hospital admissions, IC chief says
Three months of curfew have not had any effect on the number of coronavirus-related hospital admissions in the Netherlands but the measure was needed to slow the spread of the virus, the head of the Dutch intensive care association has said. Ernst Kuipers told television talk show Beau on Wednesday evening that the curfew was an essential but ‘uncontrolled experiment’ which ‘had to be done’.
Curfew had no significant effect on hospital admissions, says acute care leader
He also said that implementing the curfew was necessary, even if measuring the effects are statistically challenging because it was enforced along with many other measures.
„When the curfew was introduced, the calculation was that it would reduce new infections by 10 percent. If you look at the course of hospital admissions over time, we saw no effect whatsoever with the introduction of the curfew,“ Kuipers explained on Wednesday evening on the talk show Beau.
Israel’s COVID restrictions may end in 3 weeks, deputy health minister says
The deputy minister added that from next week, those people with a „Green Pass“ – either having received both vaccines or recovered from coronavirus – would be „more or less restriction-free.“
At Least 44 Killed at Overcrowded Lag Ba’Omer Event in Northern Israel
„It happened in a split second; people just fell, trampling each other. It was a disaster,“ another witnesses said. Two different witnesses told Haaretz that a police barricade prevented people from exiting and caused overcrowding.
Police evacuated the tens of thousands of people from Mount Meron via the parking lots and several stations after closing the main entrance to the site to restrict movement.
Can Vaccinated People Spread the Virus? We Don’t Know, Scientists Say.
(01.04.2021)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday walked back controversial comments made by its director, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, suggesting that people who are vaccinated against the coronavirus never become infected or transmit the virus to others.
CDC says fully vaccinated Americans can go outside without a mask
Some experts portrayed the relaxed guidance as a reward and a motivator for more people to get vaccinated — a message President Joe Biden sounded, too.
“The bottom line is clear: If you’re vaccinated, you can do more things, more safely, both outdoors as well as indoors,” Biden said.
Paraguay Militarizes Streets To Enforce Health Measures
„From April 27 to May 10, agents of the National Police and the Armed Forces will patrol the streets to enforce the curfew, which will be imposed from 20h00 to 5h00 local time daily,“ Interior Minister Arnaldo Giuzzio said.
Officers could detain lawbreakers and issue fines of up to US$1,000 to those who fail to comply with the measure,
ROADMAP FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIONS BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION BASED ON THE COMMISSION COMMUNICATION AND THE COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION ON STRENGTHENING COOPERATION AGAINST VACCINE PREVENTABLE DISEASES
(March 2019)
Examine the feasibility of developing a common vaccination card/passport for EU citizens (that takes into account potentially different national vaccination schedules and), that is compatible with electronic immunisation information systems and recognised for use across borders, without duplicating work at national level.
Can Vaccinated People Spread the Virus? We Don’t Know, Scientists Say.
(01.04.2021)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday walked back controversial comments made by its director, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, suggesting that people who are vaccinated against the coronavirus never become infected or transmit the virus to others.
Fully vaccinated Americans will be able to vacation in the EU this summer, European Commission president tells New York Times
Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates about 28% of Americans are now fully vaccinated — meaning it has been two weeks since their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or a week since their Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine.
Scientists call for an end to ALL Covid restrictions as they hit out at ‚confused and contradictory directions‘ and note vaccines cut deaths by 98%
– Experts say Covid-19 is being turned into a ‚mild disease‘ in Britain, like the flu
– In an open letter they accuse Ministers and advisers of exaggerating the threat
– The scientists called on the Government to remove all Covid restrictions in June
Exclusive: Scrap social distancing in June to give people control of their lives, say scientists
Mass community testing is also unnecessary, say the signatories, who favour a more targeted approach along with encouraging hand-washing and surface cleaning.
They are also urging the Government to scrap vaccine passports as Covid „no longer requires exceptional measures of control in everyday life“.
London protest: Thousands march in fury over lockdown and vaccine passports
THOUSANDS of protestors have gathered in central London this afternoon to object to the continued lockdown measures.
TV presenter Beverly Turner joins Laurence Fox and thousands of anti-vaccine passport activists as they march through London in ‚Unite for Freedom‘ protest
The protest comes amid discussions over ‚Covid-status certificates‘ being considered by ministers to help open up society, get people back into work or away on holiday despite concerns from Boris Johnson’s own MPs that they will be ‚intrusive, costly and unnecessary‘.
Earlier this month, Britain’s equalities watchdog warned the Government that vaccine passports could be unlawful, create a ‚two-tier society‘ and discriminate against migrants, ethnic minorities and the poor.
Nobel Lecture by Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter’s Nobel Lecture was pre-recorded, and shown on video on 7 December 2005, in Börssalen at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm.
COVID-19: Coronavirus passports for foreign travel will be available ‚as soon as possible‘
A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: „We are working on a solution to enable residents to prove their COVID-19 status, including vaccination status, to other countries on the outbound leg.
„We are working on this as a priority and intend to have the solution ready as soon as possible.“
That’s why we left! Angela Merkel admits EU must change – before demanding MORE power
„And you can also do a lot of things through coordinating policy, at intergovernmental level, but it certainly makes sense to also have European competencies for certain situations, especially pandemics.“
She continued: „Ideally, we should always have had a uniform European approach to lockdowns, shutdowns and other measures.
Merkel: EU ‘probably’ needs treaty changes, especially for health policy
„I believe that Europe needs more competencies in the area of health. This will probably also require changes to the treaties,“ Merkel said at an event organized by her center-right pan-EU political family, the European People’s Party, which discussed potential EU reforms that could also come up as part of the Conference on the Future of Europe.
Germany Covid: MPs back new lockdown law as protest is broken up
Several parties opposed the measures inside the Bundestag.
Eight thousand anti-lockdown protesters demonstrated close to parliament.
Police broke up the demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate, complaining that many of those involved had refused to heed warnings to wear face coverings and observe social distancing rules.
Fury over Merkel’s lockdown laws: Police fire tear gas at protesters demonstrating against strict nationwide coronavirus rules
‚Peace, freedom, no dictatorship!‘ some protestors chanted, many waving German flags and banners which said the coronavirus lockdown undermines values enshrined in the constitution.
Can we stop this lockdown inhumanity and get our lives back?
There were 250 in Westminster Abbey for Easter Day Eucharist. I know that Covid is a fiendishly clever critter, but can it really distinguish between normal congregants and mourners at a funeral? Why the harsher limit on the latter? Do those purse-lipped puritans on SAGE fear that grief might drive people to have a Covid-reckless sherry afterwards and start hugging the people they love? To borrow a favourite Prince Philip word, it’s bunkum.
Just 32 Britons have been hospitalised with coronavirus after being vaccinated, ‚extraordinary‘ findings show
— Comes as figures showed there are now just 1,973 patients with Covid-19 in UK
– Boris Johnson said he would not deviate from ‚cautious but irreversible‘ roadmap
Plot Twist: Toronto Police Make No Arrests, Allow Anti-lockdown Protest to Proceed One Day after Doug Ford’s Restrictive Lockdown Measures
“I understand you have an opinion that you’d like to express,” one officer said to some protestors, adding that “free expression is everything in this country.”
Vaccines not lockdown are to thank for rapid drop in cases and herd immunity is now starting to take effect, top scientist says as data shows Covid cases in England fell by 34% last week
(15.04.2021)
‚With up to 60 per cent of the population vaccinated and around 5 to 10 per cent with natural immunity due to infection, we’re starting to see herd immunity take effect. This should prevent future large-scale outbreaks.‘
Professor Spector warned it was inevitable cases would pick up again as restrictions are eased over the coming months. But he said any outbreaks would be ’smaller‘ and ‚manageable‘ and among groups yet to be vaccinated.
It comes after the Prime Minister claimed the reduction in Covid infections, hospitalisations and deaths was down to lockdowns and was not achieved by the roll-out of vaccines.
COVID-19: Lockdown is main reason for drop in coronavirus cases and deaths – not vaccinations, says Boris Johnson
(14.04.2021)
The PM suggests the millions of jabs given over the past few months was not key to the reduction in COVID levels.
ROADMAP FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIONS BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION BASED ON THE COMMISSION COMMUNICATION AND THE COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION ON STRENGTHENING COOPERATION AGAINST VACCINE PREVENTABLE DISEASES
(March 2019)
Examine the feasibility of developing a common vaccination card/passport for EU citizens (that takes into account potentially different national vaccination schedules and), that is compatible with electronic immunisation information systems and recognised for use across borders, without duplicating work at national level.
Lord Sumption: mass civil disobedience has begun
Jonathan Sumption was once the epitome of the Establishment — a brilliant barrister who represented the Government in the Hutton enquiry, Supreme Court Justice, supporter of the Remain campaign and esteemed historian of the Hundred Years’ War. But then Covid happened.
Over the past year, his unabashed criticism of lockdown policies has turned him into something of a renegade. It is development that mystifies him; as he sees it, his views have always been mainstream liberal, and it is the world around that has changed.
In the course of our conversation, the retired judge doesn’t hold back. He asserts that it is becoming morally acceptable to ignore Covid regulations, and even warns that a campaign of “civil disobedience” has already begun.
German lawmakers move to strengthen the government’s powers in the pandemic.
BERLIN — Germany’s government plans to ask lawmakers to grant it stronger powers in order to introduce a nationwide lockdown as the country is gripped by a third wave of the coronavirus.
The country’s approach has so far been to have the governors of Germany’s 16 states agree to any nationwide pandemic policies. But as calls from public health officials have grown stronger for a new nationwide lockdown in recent weeks, Chancellor Angela Merkel has had trouble gaining all of the governors’ support.
How the pandemic turned German politics upside down
In Germany, politics is supposed to be dull. Everything about the system — its carefully calibrated federalism, support for the European Union and emphasis on coalitions and consensus — is calculated to keep public life as stable as possible. Under normal conditions it works well enough — even if it often puts outsiders to sleep.
But then came the pandemic.
Merkel sets out plan to take control of Germany’s Covid response
Changing the law comes with considerable risk for Merkel: enshrining specific infection rates in legislation could require her government to put the law to endless ad-hoc parliamentary votes as the pandemic situation changes. A more permanent power-grab could in turn be blocked by the Bundesrat, the constitutional body through which the states participate in the legislative process.
Merkel power-grab: German Chancellor poised to impose new restrictions as COVID cases soar
Backing the idea of the Chancellor taking control of the situation, Norbert Roettgen, who was defeated by Mr Laschet, Prime Minister of North Rhine Westphalia, in the CDU leadership contest earlier this year, said: “At the beginning of the crisis, the decision-making in the Minister-President Conference was okay.
“But it has become dysfunctional in the meantime.
Germany may close its borders on Monday
The most extreme possibility being considered is a perimeter closure of the entire country to stop tourists taking trips abroad.
Merkel overrides regional autonomy to enforce centralised lockdown
On Friday Merkel administration figures insisted her move was not about calling into question Germany’s postwar federal system, which gives state considerable political autonomy. But they said the decentralised system, which allowed quick and local responses on testing a year ago, had become an impediment now to coherent infection prevention.
Boris Johnson: bumbling authoritarian
A year into the pandemic – and despite a world-leading vaccine rollout that is de-risking Covid more and more by the day – we are moving glacially out of lockdown. What’s more, we are told that social distancing may be here to stay for a long while yet. Even worse, the introduction of domestic vaccine passports – the transformation of Britain into a ‘papers, please’ society – now seems inevitable.
Parliament hasn’t even been guaranteed a vote on them, as Boris, doughty liberal that he is, continues to rule by decree.
Merkel Bloc Pushing for More Central Power Over Virus Strategy
(08.04.2021)
Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to push ahead with a bid to transfer powers to impose coronavirus restrictions from the regional to the federal level, as the German leader tries to reverse the latest surge in infections threatening Europe’s biggest economy.
Germany’s current “infection protection law” doesn’t allow for “common action” to tackle the pandemic because it leaves the enforcement of restrictions to the 16 states, Norbert Roettgen, a senior member of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, said in a position paper obtained by Bloomberg.
The Telegraph – Covid pass could be used by grandparents to screen birthday party guests
(03.04.2021)
Jake Hurfurt, head of research and investigations at Big Brother Watch, said:
“Netcompany’s chilling endorsement of segregated events and biosurveillance of our family members is a warning of the road Covid passes would lead us down.
“This contract shows that ministers misled Parliament and the public, claiming for months there were no plans for Covid passes and still claiming today that no decision has been made. This contract exposes the reality that work began on Covid certificates a long time ago.“
Poll: 53 percent of voters support having ‚vaccine passports‘
Democrats were more likely than Republicans to support a vaccine passport, while independent voters were evenly split on the issue.
Roughly 70 percent of Democratic voters said the government should create such a system, while 60 percents of Republican voters said the opposite.
Why ARE we still in lockdown? UK’s Covid outbreak is now in a similar position as it was in JULY as figures show cases are falling in every age group, only ONE area saw a tiny rise and 94% of over-70s now have antibodies following vaccination drive
– Study shows Britain’s cases, deaths and hospitalisations has fallen to levels as low as those seen last July
– Epidemiologist professor Tim Spector of King’s College says UK’s figures are among the lowest in Europe
– University College London modelling suggested UK could pass threshold for herd immunity next week
– Tory MPs said increasingly positive data should result in Boris Johnson speeding up exit from lockdown
Chile: Wahl wegen Corona endgültig verschoben, Lockdown wird verschärft
Freischaffende Journalist:innen und Mitglieder alternativer und selbstverwalteter Medienhäuser können sich seit Beginn der neuen Bestimmungen nicht mehr frei bewegen.
The PM’s caution is hard to justify
This only makes sense as a part of an incipient certification regime that would make public access to indoor events conditional on certain criteria.
Covid third wave ‚will NOT‘ overwhelm NHS: Government scientists‘ most likely scenario after the economy re-opens in June projects deaths will stay in double figures even with ALL restrictions lifted – as Boris faces backlash over ‚hellish demi-lockdown‘
Modelling by Imperial College London academics — involving ‚Professor Lockdown‘ Neil Ferguson — shows that coronavirus patients will take up around 5,000 beds during any future spike, far lower than the 30,000 occupied in January.
And thanks to the effects of vaccines far fewer of those patients will die, with daily deaths remaining below 100 even with cases above 50,000, according to the scenario that the scientists regard as most likely.
Israel: High Court rules movement ban during virus lockdown ‚unconstitutional‘
Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled on Sunday that the government repeatedly overstepped its authority it barred citizens from departing their homes more than one kilometer during multiple coronavirus lockdowns.
In the eight-to-one decision handed down on Sunday, the court specifically cited Israel’s second national lockdown last October, noting the government’s actions constituted a „disproportionate violation of the right to protest and were unconstitutional.“
Covid passports are authoritarian, illogical, vile
The Covid passport is a revolting idea. Authoritarian. Discriminatory. Un-British. The PM will give us more details in a press conference today but it’s a mark of how far lockdown has warped our values that it’s already being hailed as a “freedom pass”. The public is all for it, of course: these are the people who call the cops when they see a queue outside a church. We’ve become so used to control that being permitted to do something that in ordinary times would be quite normal, like go to the theatre or attend a football match, is treated as a benign act of mercy by an all-loving state.
Vaccine passports show the state is reaching too far into our lives
There are, though, some people who can’t take the vaccine or, like pregnant women, are advised against it.
Banning these people from concerts and football matches would be divisive and discriminatory. As we plan for the peace, we should be vigilant in defence of liberty, where the state has reached too far into our lives, we should kick it out. No government in future should have the power to tell you whether you can see your children or grandchildren, nor should it be able to force you to publish your medical records as a condition for living a normal life.
Boris ‚wants vaccine passports up and running by JUNE 21‘ but could fail to get legislation past Parliament as he ‚promises Tory rebels they WILL get a vote‘ and Labour says scheme is like using ‚a sledgehammer to crack a nut‘
Boris Johnson wants domestic Covid passports in place by June 21 – but faces the prospect of an embarrassing Commons defeat after promising Tory rebels a vote on their introduction.
Michael Gove is said to have made the offer to furious backbenchers appalled at the idea of forcing Britons to prove their vaccination status to enter pubs and other social hubs.
Boris Johnson wants the scheme to be up and running for June 21, when the last social distancing measures are expected to be swept away.
Boris Johnson to give go-ahead for trials of Covid passports
News of the trial events comes as senior Tories among a cross-party group have declared they will oppose the use of vaccine certificates, with 72 MPs signing a pledge to oppose the “divisive and discriminatory” scheme. Some have described their use as the creation of “checkpoint Britain”. A government scientific adviser has also warned that they could give people a false sense of security.
The size of the rebellion could create problems for the government, should it conclude that legislation is needed to introduce Covid passports
State of fear: how ministers ‘used covert tactics’ to keep scared public at home
The same document presented a grid of 14 options for increasing compliance which included “use media to increase sense of personal threat”, a tactic which was seen as having a “high” effectiveness though spill-over effects “could be negative”.
Some Sage participants now admit to feeling “embarrassed” by such advice.
One regular Sage attendee said: “The British people have been subjected to an unevaluated psychological experiment without being told that is what’s happening.
Polish Catholic parish in London: Police ‘grossly exceeded powers’ in halting Good Friday service
An April 3 statement on the parish’s website said: “On Good Friday, April 2, during the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, at the moment of the Adoration of the Cross, at about 6 p.m., the police came to the door of our church. We were not allowed to finish the celebration.”
“The police officers, stating that our liturgical assembly was unlawful, ordered everyone to leave our church immediately under the threat of a fine for each of the parishioners present of £200 [around $277] or even arrest. The faithful obeyed this order without objection.”
Now the police are breaking up Good Friday services
It looks like something out of a tinpot tyranny. The church service was being livestreamed online. Halfway through, two cops appear and arrogantly walk to the sanctuary itself, the area around the altar. They then take over the lectern from the priest and issue a dire warning to the people who had gathered to commemorate the darkest day in the Christian faith – the trial and execution of Christ. ‘You need to go home’, an officer says. ‘Failure to comply with this direction to leave… could lead you to be fined £200 or, if you fail to give your details, to you being arrested.’
Opera at the window: Itinerant troupe takes the stage in Paris courtyards
After a year off the stage, a group of young artists have decided to keep the music of Beethoven, Ravel and Saint-Saëns alive by offering performances in Parisian courtyards, in full compliance with health regulations.
The ‚covert tactics‘ used to scare Britons into staying at home: How SAGE document called for increase in ‚perceived threat‘ of Covid using ‚hard hitting emotional messages‘
Psychologists have accused Downing Street of using ‚covert psychological strategies‘ to emphasise the threat from Covid-19 without contextualising the risks, the Telegraph reported.
It was said this created ‚a state of heightened anxiety‘, adding many people became ‚too frightened to attend hospital‘.
Experts fear Britons have been the subject of an experiment in the use of tactics which operate ‚below their level of awareness,‘ it was said.
Patients face TWO YEAR wait for vital operations due to ‘frightening’ backlog caused by Covid crisis
The pandemic has led to a widespread suspension of normal NHS diagnostic tests and surgery as hospitals prioritised saving Covid victims.
This has left the service in England with a record 4.59 million people waiting for hospital treatment.
Sir David told the Guardian: „The backlog is truly frightening. We can very easily get to the next election with people waiting over two years.
ACCESS DENIED – The Case against a two-tier Britain under covid certification
Freedom is not a reward for compliance. Freedom is not a gift to be meted out by the state according to the performance of its policies or public institutions. Freedom is innate in each of us, and our constitution. There is a common goal for the country to be healthy, safe and free – but we cannot arrive at freedom through compulsion.
There will be strong pushes for ever-inflating controls on individuals from industries that stand to profit, whether from the growing digital infrastructure those controls rely on, or the short-term boost in consumer ‘confidence’ – but the long-term impact on the economy, equality, social cohesion and the liberties that define our country cannot be under-estimated.
It would be an irrecoverable mistake to give in to these authoritarian impulses and allow our society to be divided. We urge the Government to bring the country together rather than drive groups apart – to protect citizens, prevent discrimination and safeguard our freedoms – to reject COVID-status certification.
FORTY rebel Tories including six ex-Cabinet ministers join forces with opposition MPs in bid to block ‚divisive and discriminatory‘ vaccine passports
– Unlikely alliance condemned vaccine passports as ‚divisive and discriminatory‘
– Members of coalition were organised by the pressure group Big Brother Watch
– Signed a pledge to oppose the idea if it is brought forward by ministers
– Signatories include Jeremy Corbyn, Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Esther McVey
Campaigners start legal action over Covid ban stopping care home residents aged over-65 from taking trips to see family and friends during pandemic
Legal action has begun against the government challenging guidance stopping care home residents taking journeys from their homes.
Pressure group John’s Campaign has started the proceedings in a pre-action letter sent to the Department of Health and Social Care.
The group – which is made up of both care home residents and their families – say that the ban on over-65s going on trips from the homes is unlawful.
Anti-lockdown riots in #Brussels, #Belgium today.
Video by @RadioSavana
Police are using water cannons to disperse a rave happening at Brussels‘ Bois de la Cambre
A young woman was seriously injured as police stormed the Brussels park where teenagers were having a party today, running a horse straight into her, how can they justify this tyranny under the banner of Coronavirus?
Chaotic scenes in #Brussels, #Belgium today as police stormed into a park where revellers were gathered for a preplanned party in the sun
Surreal scene in brussels as minted police and water cannons charge youngsters celebrating.
(…)
Belgium, Brussels: Belgian police using water cannon, horses, riot gear and drones
Belgium, Brussels: Belgian police using water cannon, horses, riot gear and drones to disperse a gathering of young people at a park in Brussels today.
Ter Kamerenbos (Brussels) changes into a war zone as riot police breakup gathering with 5000+ youth
Around 2,000 people showed up towards the end of a warm and sunny day to attend „La Boum“ (the party) in the Bois de la Cambre park, local police said, even though the organizers had revealed days earlier that their invitation on social media was a hoax. Local media put the number of people at about 5,000.
Hundreds of police, many in riot gear and some on horseback, broke up a knot of would-be revelers beside a lake in the park with back-up from water cannon trucks and tear gas.
Good on them! You’re young LIVE LIFE
A post that appeared on Facebook for a giant party in a Brussels park during Belgium’s COVID-19 lockdown was intended as an April Fool’s joke but has sent police and prosecutors scrambling as nearly 20,000 people have said they plan to attend
Belgian police clash with partiers over Covid-19 restrictions
Large crowds have been gathering in Brussels parks this week to enjoy the unusually sunny, warm weather, despite coronavirus restrictions limiting outside gatherings to four people. Brussels prosecutor’s office had said police would be deployed at the festival and that anyone breaching restrictions could be prosecuted.
‚Behaving like a monarch‘: Emmanuel Macron under fire over lockdown U-turn as MPs boycott vote
Emmanuel Macron came under heavy fire on Thursday over his lockdown U-turn as opposition groups pledged to boycott a parliamentary vote on tougher restrictions saying they would not rubber-stamp the whims of “a monarch”.
Macron blames the British variant for French lockdown
Macron cited the so-called ‚Kent variant‘ as one of the main reasons for the lockdown, telling viewers: ‚This variant which was identified for the first time from our British neighbours at the end of last year and to a certain extent, of course, gave rise to an epidemic within the epidemic and that is greater than last spring.‘
It was just yesterday of course that Le Monde published a glowing article full of fawning quotes from Macron’s aides calling him ‚the president epidemiologist.‘
In a dictatorship, the ‚official statistics‘ are manipulated to match the story that the dictator wants told. Enough said!
(…)
Brexit: Boris Johnson’s new laws put UK on ‘very slippery slope’ to dictatorship, warn ex-Supreme Court president
(08 October 2020)
Lord Neuberger linked the new powers to the coronavirus pandemic and suggested that if the government was seen to be ignoring the law, ordinary people might also decide to reject it,
„The government understandably expects people to obey the law: but I ask rhetorically, what moral authority does the government have expecting people to obey these draconian laws, if it itself is announcing that it intends to break its obligations under international law and intends to stop people going to court to enforce their rights against the government?“ he said.
Boris says vaccine passports WILL be needed to go on holiday as he tries to face down Tory AND Labour rebellion over ‚un-British‘ plans for proof of jab to enter pubs and shops and prepares to unveil scheme next week
Boris Johnson today said there is ‚definitely going to be a world in which international travel will use vaccine passports‘ as he faces a Labour and Tory revolt over them potentially being used domestically.
Exclusive: Covid vaccine passports would be un-British, says Sir Keir Starmer
Sir Keir stressed that using Covid status certificates in the UK was a complex issue, adding that he would scrutinise government proposals before deciding whether to oppose them.
But he said: „My instinct is that, as the vaccine is rolled out, as the number of hospital admissions and deaths go down, there will be a British sense that we don’t actually want to go down this road.“
Brexit MEP’s controversial vaccine theory – but do YOU agree with him?
Boris was elected in December 2019 on the promise of reclaiming our freedoms from Brussels, that did not give him the mandate to permanently change how our society works. The State has more power now than at anytime since the Second World War and it’s hungry for more.
That 80 seat majority that Brexiteers gifted Boris is being used to ram ever more authoritarian diktats down our throat in the name of „protecting us“.
Where is the so-called libertarian Boris? The man with famously flexible principles has abandoned the core political philosophy that powered his rise – personal responsibility.
Finland withdraws COVID lockdown plan after it was deemed unconstitutional
The decision followed a statement from a constitutional law committee that deemed the proposal too vague and not in compliance with the constitution.
Germany BANS AstraZeneca jab for under-60s over unproven blood clot fears despite British scientists insisting there’s NO evidence it increases risks
– German health officials banned use of AstraZeneca vaccine in under-60s
– Earlier Berlin’s Charite hospital banned AZ jabs for women under the age of 55
– It comes despite authoritative rulings by experts that the jab is safe and effective
– Canada yesterday banned AZ jab for under-55s over the blood clot concerns
More than HALF of people in England now have Covid antibodies thanks to huge vaccination drive and natural immunity – with PM facing more calls to lift restrictions NOW as lockdown-weary Brits head to beaches and parks to sizzle on hottest day of the year
One Tory MP told MailOnline the PM must bring forward the arbitrary dates in order to ‚maintain public confidence that we are getting our freedom as soon as possible‘. Steve Baker, of the Covid Recovery Group, called on No10 to ask SAGE to see whether the relaxation of restrictions could be safely brought forward.
‚No one recovers until everyone recovers‘: World needs a post-Covid treaty to put nationalism aside and ensure virus stays defeated, 23 heads of state including Johnson, Merkel and Macron declare in open letter
Writing for newspapers across the world – including The Daily Telegraph – the leaders also urged a new era of solidarity in the face of ‚the biggest challenge to the global community since the 1940s‘.
The group of 24 world leaders – and the head of the World Health Organisation Dr Tedros Adhanom – called for a new international accord similar to those agreed after the war which saw countries work together for the common good.
Mask off.
Biden Pushes Mask Mandate as C.D.C. Director Warns of ‘Impending Doom’
The president’s comments came only hours after the C.D.C. director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, appeared to fight back tears as she pleaded with Americans to “hold on a little while longer” and continue following public health advice, like wearing masks and social distancing, to curb the virus’s spread.
Biden administration reportedly working on national ‘vaccine passport’ program, raising concerns from some
Now, President Joe Biden’s administration is reportedly working with federal agencies as well as private entities to create such a thing for Americans, the Washington Post and CNN found.
According to reports, the passport would come as a scannable code that users could easily bring up on their smartphone.
Give pause before you raise a glass to the prospect of a vaccine passport
… The bad news is that Johnson’s “papers for pints” plan is essentially a national ID card by stealth, one that would link our identity to our Covid status – whether we’ve been vaccinated, had a recent negative test or have antibodies.
The UK has already toyed with national ID cards. It rejected them in 2010. As Theresa May, then home secretary, explained in 2010: “This isn’t just about cost savings, it’s actually about the principle, it’s about getting the balance right between national security and civil liberties, and that’s what the new coalition government is doing.”
Protesters demonstrate against vaccine coercion, green passports in Tel Aviv
Israelis protest the government’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign near HaBima Theater in Tel Aviv, Feb. 24, 2021.
Left behind? As Israel reopens, what now for those who refuse vaccines?
(26.02.2021)
#Israel is leading the world in #Covid-19 #vaccination rates. But, as the country reopens, it now faces a new problem and one likely to soon be encountered by governments across the world: How to balance the civil liberties of those or refuse the jab with the need to protect public health?
Tel Aviv Residents Protest ‚Green Passport‘ Program
(24.02.2021)
Lavrov: Russia Is Against Vaccine Passports For Traveling, It’s Contrary to Voluntary Inoculation
(02.03.2021)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: Moscow expects that the European Union’s plans to introduce vaccine passports won’t discriminate against Russian nationals.
Japan to join EU and China in issuing digital vaccine passport
Japan will issue digital health certificates to citizens who have been inoculated against coronavirus, joining China, the European Union and other countries that have embraced vaccine passports aimed at opening up overseas travel, Nikkei has learned.
The certificate can be managed on a mobile app and will be in line with international standards, allowing the carrier to present the proof of vaccination when boarding a plane or checking in to a hotel.
Hawaii: An Update On Its ‘Vaccine Passport’ Program
(24.03.2021)
There’s no official timetable, but the “hope” is for it to be launched mid-May.
But without a sense of urgency, some are beginning to question the economic feasibility of creating vaccinated programs at all.
So long as we stay the course, President Biden says most Americans will have access to the vaccine by May
Künstler besetzen Piccolo Teatro in Mailand
Die Kulturschaffenden wollen im Piccolo Teatro ein „ständiges Kulturparlament“ als Treffpunkt für Versammlungen und Diskussionen einrichten, betonten die Initiatoren des Protests.
Police assaulted me at the Bristol protest even though I told them I was from the press. I was respectfully observing what was happening and posed no threat to any of the officers. I have muted the latter part of the video to spare you all the pain of hearing my shrill voice.
Police under fire for ‚assault‘ of journalist at Bristol protest
Police have come under fire for their treatment of a reporter at demonstrations in Bristol on Friday night, during violent clashes between officers and protesters.
Daily Mirror journalist Matthew Dresch shared video footage that appeared to show police pushing him and hitting him with a baton as he shouted that he was a member of the press.
No holidaymakers arrested at airports in England despite Priti Patel’s coronavirus crackdown
On 27 January, the home secretary said going on holiday was “not a valid reason” to leave home during England’s coronavirus lockdown and added: “Anyone who does not have a valid reason for travel will be directed to return home or they will face a fine.”
The Home Office claimed that police could arrest people who remained intent on going on holiday after being stopped at an airport, saying: “Holiday travel is not allowed and police can fine anyone trying to do so, direct them to go home and, if necessary, use powers of arrest.”
Kill the Bill: Violent protest ‚disgraceful‘, says prime minister
Home Secretary Priti Patel also criticised the disorder and the „violence being directed towards the police“.
„I’m in no doubt the silent, law-abiding majority will be appalled by the actions of this criminal minority,“ she said.
„Despite repeated warnings to disperse, it’s clear these thugs were only intent on causing trouble.
‚Kill the bill‘: hundreds take part in Bristol protest
A crowd of people gathered in Bristol on Friday evening for a third ‚kill the bill‘ demonstration within a week.
Protesters met at two parks, Castle Park and College Green, and marched through the city centre and along Park Street towards Bristol University’s buildings
Hundreds sit down outside Bristol police station in ‚kill the bill‘ protest
What’s the point of a BRILLIANT vaccine if we remain prisoners in our homes? JUDY FINNIGAN
I’m getting very tired of various scientific oddbods turning up on the news and telling us our future. This is invariably gloomy, speculating about how new variants will not allow us to have holidays abroad this summer.
The latest – unbelievably – is Professor Neil Ferguson, who was so publicly caught flouting his own lockdown advice last year by inviting his mistress over for a spot of nooky.
Shamed for a bit, he’s now back on his high horse, saying summer holidays are not for the rest of us.
Covid laws are extended until SEPTEMBER: Boris sees off Tory rebellion as MPs vote 484 to 76 to KEEP draconian measures in place – despite deaths falling 33% in a week and hospitalisations plummeting
– Boris Johnson and the Government today won a crunch vote on extending coronavirus powers to September
– But the PM suffered a considerable Tory rebellion as 35 of his MPs voted against and a further 20 abstained
– Emergency powers will now be kept in place to September despite lockdown being due to end on June 21
– Rebels questioned need for ’significant draconian powers‘ after life is supposed to be back to normal
‚Greed‘ and ‚capitalism‘ helped UK’s vaccines success, says PM
(26.03.2021)
The prime minister’s full remarks, which first appeared in the Sun newspaper, were reported to be: „The reason we have the vaccine success is because of capitalism, because of greed, my friends.“
Wales Office Minister David TC Davies, who attended the meeting, said Mr Johnson „made it absolutely clear it was a joke – a reference to the film Wall Street“.
Verzicht auf Präsenzgottesdienste: Kirchen „überrascht“ von Bitte der Politik
Die Politik bittet darum, Gottesdienste an Ostern nur virtuell abzuhalten – das stößt bei den beiden großen Kirchen auf Befremden. Die katholischen Bischöfe kündigten an, nicht auf Präsenzgottesdienste verzichten zu wollen.
Boris Johnson is urged to lift Covid lockdown a month early as MPs warn we risk ’squandering the advantages‘ of vaccines rollout by delaying moves to reopen economy
Britain risks ‘squandering the advantages of our vaccination programme’ by moving too slowly to lift the lockdown, Conservative MPs warned yesterday.
Amid signs of a gathering rebellion, a string of MPs said they were ready to vote against the Government this week when it seeks to extend Covid laws to the end of September.
Three arrested after hundreds turned out to protest in Newcastle
The nationwide campaign for women’s safety follows the death of Sarah Everard. The 33-year-old marketing executive went missing while walking home from a friend’s flat in London on 3 March.
People are also protesting against the Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill. It would change how protests are policed and making some aspects of the Coronavirus Act permanent.
It comes as the UK remains in a national lockdown, which bans gatherings
Bristol Bridewell police station under siege
(livestream)
What is the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill and how will it change protests?
(16.03.2021)
It will also become a crime to fail to follow restrictions the protesters „ought“ to have known about, even if they have not received a direct order from an officer.
At present, police need to prove protesters knew they had been told to move on, before they can be said to have broken the law.
The proposed law includes an offence of „intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance“.
Police lines have been pushed back almost to the door of the station
Bristol police station ‚under siege‘ as ‚Kill the Bill‘ rioters set fire to van
The event was dubbed „Kill the Bill“, in reference to the attempts to stop the Government’s proposed law which would give police and the Home Secretary increased powers to stop protests.
The Bill also makes a special new law to protect monuments and statues, in the wake of the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston, with the crime of damaging them punishable by up to ten years in prison.
Crowds pack Ocean Drive in Miami Beach after curfew
Police try to enforce a curfew in Miami Beach after crowds linger, leading to a stampede.
Hundreds of people defy Miami Beach curfew orders
The city has now extended the restrictions for at least 3 weeks.
COVID-19: Miami Beach in Florida declares state of emergency over crowds
Miami Beach police are taking drastic measures to impose a new curfew as spring breakers overwhelmed the city …
Environ 6.500 personnes célébraient dimanche le carnaval dans le centre de Marseille,
Bristol this afternoon #PoliceCrackdownBill #PoliceCrimeSentencingCourtsBill #KillTheBill #Bristol
Bristol protests: Huge crowds gather despite lockdown rules – fury at Policing Bill
Demonstrators began gathering at Bristol’s College Green around 2pm before marching through the city.
According to Bristol Live police initially encouraged them to disperse but moved to the crowd’s edges as numbers increased.
Protestors waved ‘Kill The Bill’ placards whilst a small number had black and red anarchist flags.
Covid-19: Record-breaking day with 873,784 vaccine doses given in UK
Meanwhile, a leading epidemiologist has predicted that people may need to wear face coverings and socially distance for several years before a return to normality.
Mary Ramsay, the head of immunisation at Public Health England, said basic measures could be in place until other countries successfully roll-out jabs.
She said people „have got used to those lower-level restrictions now, and people can live with them, and the economy can still go on with those less severe restrictions in place“.
UK to slow Covid vaccine rollout, PM Johnson says delay due to shipment from India’s Serum Institute
(19.03.2021)
The United Kingdom (UK) will have to slow its Covid-19 vaccine rollout in April due to a supply crunch caused by a delay in a shipment of millions of AstraZeneca vaccines from the Serum Institute of India.
MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: The EU elite’s seething resentment at Britain’s success hurts them more than us and does no one any good
The grotesque behaviour of EU governments and leaders over the Oxford vaccine has gone beyond all limits of reason and civilised action.
First, they attacked its usefulness. Then they cast doubts on its safety. Now they seek to grab hold of supplies, and so slow down its distribution in one of the few countries that has welcomed and used it widely and effectively.
Tory rebels accuse Boris Johnson of following ‚dates, not data‘ on lockdown easing as they argue ‚increasingly positive‘ vaccination numbers mean ‚we should be able to get back to normal more quickly‘
Mark Harper, the chairman of the Covid Recovery Group, said ‚reasonable people‘ will now be questioning why Mr Johnson does not speed up the easing of restrictions.
Meanwhile, the CRG’s Steve Baker echoed a similar sentiment as he said ‚the time has come for this dark chapter in our history to come to an end‘ amid fears of extending the Government’s draconian Covid powers.
Massive Anti Lockdown Protest – London
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Riot police break up banned coronavirus demonstration in Amsterdam
Riot police have ended a demonstration by up to 1,000 people on the Museumplein in Amsterdam, who were protesting about the government’s coronavirus regulations.
Covid: Anti-lockdown protests as MPs call for law change
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor told the BBC more people than previously expected were at Saturday’s protests, but the Met has not given a formal estimate of the number in attendance.
COVID-19: Hundreds take to London streets to protest against lockdown
Hundreds of anti-lockdown campaigners have gathered for a protest in central London, with police making several arrests.
Boris Johnson vows ‘roadmap to freedom’ will NOT be delayed despite AstraZeneca jab supply fears
BORIS Johnson has reassured Brits that the AstraZeneca jab is safe and effective – as he calmed nerves about the country’s vaccine rollout.
‚We over-promised again‘: Matt Hancock faces Tory backlash as he FINALLY admits that India IS behind jabs delay with four million AstraZeneca doses held back by Delhi in ‚act of vaccine nationalism‘ – dealing serious blow to UK’s rollout
– Matt Hancock under fire for raising hopes of huge ramp up in vaccines only for supplies setback to emerge
– Serum Institute of India has been told it must hand jabs to its own citizens before exporting vaccine stocks
– One batch of five million doses of the AstraZeneca jab bound for the UK has been delayed by a month
. Confusingly Boris Johnson insisted Indian government has not blocked any exports, as he prepares to visit
ROADMAP FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIONS BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION BASED ON THE COMMISSION COMMUNICATION AND THE COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION ON STRENGTHENING COOPERATION AGAINST VACCINE PREVENTABLE DISEASES
(March 2019)
Examine the feasibility of developing a common vaccination card/passport for EU citizens (that takes into account potentially different national vaccination schedules and), that is compatible with electronic immunisation information systems and recognised for use across borders, without duplicating work at national level.
‘Is VDL being pressured by Germany?!’ Macron aide speechless at C4 Covid vaccine probe
Channel 4 News presenter Matt Frei asked: „Is this all very political and does Ursula von der Leyen, as a German politician and member of Angela Merkel’s ruling CDU, is she now under pressure?
„Especially after the results of the regional elections on Sunday that she has to come out and take the gloves off.
„Is that what this is? Is it political?“
Ms Trillet-Lenoir replied: „I wouldn’t say so. I would say it’s a complicated explanation.
BBC’s Katya Adler exposes why Italy ‚under pressure‘ to suspend AstraZeneca vaccine
BBC’s Katya Adler insisted that Italy felt under pressure to suspend the rollout of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine. While speaking on Newscast, she said despite its own advisors saying not to suspend the use of the vaccine, the Italian Government decided to plough ahead with the temporary ban. She claimed this was due to mounting pressure from their citizens with concerns due to bigger European nations Germany and France suspending the vaccine.
Germany, France, Italy Suspend Use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine
(15.03.2021)
Germany, Italy, France and Spain joined the ranks of European countries that have temporarily halted use of the Covid-19 shot made by AstraZeneca PLC over blood-clot concerns, dealing another blow to the continent’s sluggish vaccination rollout and threatening the credibility of the vaccine itself.
Top Court Strikes Down COVID Restrictions on Citizens‘ Entry and Departure From Israel
In a damning verdict, the judges noted that „Israel is the only democratic country in the world where the right of citizens to enter their country has been so sweepingly restricted.“
On the figure of 3,000, the judges stated that this was set by the government before they had gathered data on the number of nationals who were stuck abroad, and ordered any future restrictions to be based on updated and comprehensive facts.
The free-speech crisis is not a right-wing myth
Too many on what passes for the left today are keen to dismiss the free-speech crisis in universities as a ‘right-wing myth’. They brush off the countless examples of censorship as overhyped. And they ignore concerns about the moral policing of dissenting views.
In short, they effectively deny that a free-speech crisis exists. And they do so by attacking those who are sounding the alarm. As far as these deniers are concerned, the problem is not cancel culture; it is those dishonest myth-makers who are drawing attention to it.
What is the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill and how will it change protests?
It will also become a crime to fail to follow restrictions the protesters „ought“ to have known about, even if they have not received a direct order from an officer.
At present, police need to prove protesters knew they had been told to move on, before they can be said to have broken the law.
The proposed law includes an offence of „intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance“.
Civil liberties groups call police plans for demos an ‚assault‘ on right to protest
Among other things, the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill will give Priti Patel powers to create laws to define “serious disruption” to communities and organisations, which police can then rely on to impose conditions on protests.
The HMICFRS report, ordered by Patel following Extinction Rebellion (XR) and Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, outlines a “need to develop” covert intelligence gathering methods and an expectation of increased use of facial recognition technology, despite a court of appeal ruling last year that its use in south Wales breached privacy rights and broke equalities law.
PM Boris Johnson: The Oxford vaccine shows why we and the world need Britain to be global
The objective of Global Britain is not to swagger or strike attitudes on the world stage. It is to use the full spectrum of our abilities, now amplified by record spending on both defence and science, to engage with and help the rest of the world. That is how we serve the British interest, and I mean the economic interest of people up and down the country. And as the vaccine programme begins to inspire a new global hope, we want to use this moment to heal, both literally and figuratively.
‚Your Brexit sulk will cost lives‘: MPs from all parties and the WHO plead with Britons to keep taking ’safe‘ AstraZeneca vaccine amid fury that EU’s ‚fake news‘ has fuelled anti-vax campaign as Sweden joins 12 countries suspending jab
As Sweden became the latest European country to suspend the Oxford vaccine over unproven fears it causes blood clots, politicians, medics and scientists have launched a concerted effort to reassure the public about safety.
France, Germany, Spain and Italy are also among the states to act despite the European Medicines Agency dismissing the link, with warnings that the pausing of inoculations is ‚reckless‘ and will cost lives on the continent.
Netherlands: Police use water cannon as tensions rise at The Hague anti-govt. demo
A demonstrator could be seen screaming in pain as he was bitten by a police dog. Officers made several arrests and beat one attendee with truncheons.
Protesters defied repeated requests from the police to leave the field the maximum number of allowed participants under COVID restrictions was reached.
#Netherlands — About 2,000 people gathered in The Hague on Sunday to protest
About 2,000 people gathered in The Hague on Sunday to protest against the government and its tough coronavirus lockdown on the eve of the Netherlands’ general election.
Dutch police break up thousands of anti-lockdown protesters
Police in the Netherlands dispersed thousands of anti-lockdown protesters outside the Hague on Sunday, one day before national elections begin in the country.
Boris Johnson faces a new Tory rebellion threat over pre-Easter vote to extend lockdown laws for another SIX MONTHS despite plans to end most restrictions in June
The legislation governing the current shutdown has to be approved again by MPs on or before March 25.
But it can only be extended for six months at a time, meaning a pre-Easter vote would extend the law until September, despite plans to come out of most lockdown rules by late June.
Men In Black, Denmark was live.
(video)
Big protests in Copenhagen by Men in Black. Fight against restrictions and covid laws. Every Saturday night. Find the live stream on their facebook page.
Black-clad anti-lockdown demonstrators march through Copenhagen after activist receives 2-yr jail term (VIDEO)
The demonstration followed the sentencing of a woman who was found guilty of inciting violence during an anti-lockdown protest in January. Speakers who addressed the crowd during Saturday’s march expressed solidarity with the woman, who received two years behind bars due to a controversial provision that allows Danish courts to double sentences if the crime is related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
‚Shame on you!‘: Calls mount for Met police chief Cressida Dick to RESIGN after officers made arrests and manhandled screaming women at Sarah Everard vigil after Kate Middleton paid her respects
– Vigil turned violent amid clashes with police in Clapham Common in south London on Saturday evening
– Hundreds of people defied lockdown to gather in tribute to Sarah Everard before shocking scenes of violence
– The 33-year-old marketing executive was last seen near the common’s band stand on Wednesday, March 3
– Calls are now mounting for Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick to resign following the clashes
Police in England ‚using Covid lockdown rules to halt any protests‘
Analysis by Netpol, the Network for Police Monitoring, reveals there have been at least nine high-profile instances of police using Covid regulations against demonstrators, including two asylum seekers protesting outside Napier barracks in Folkestone, Kent and a woman fined £500 for organising a protest after the death of a man released from police custody in Cardiff.
The human rights group Liberty said the police were too often indiscriminately using Covid rules to disperse responsible, low-risk protests, arrest people and issue extortionate fixed penalty notices to organisers regardless of the risk to public health.
Tonight in Clapham we witnessed the Met police arresting and pushing to the ground women who had come to grieve and protest the murder of our sister by one of their officers. I am shaking and furious. #ReclaimTheseStreets
Several thousand people have gathered at the band stand in Clapham despite the vigil for Sarah Everard being cancelled.
Dresden anti-lockdown protest Some people have had enough and they are fighting back
With rise in infections, health officials weigh slowing down Israel’s COVID lockdown exit plan
(01.03.2021)
Protesters occupy Paris theatres to protest against Covid-19 shutdowns
University students spent Monday night protesting at Pau theatre in southern France. Similar actions were seen on Tuesday at two other theatres, the Colline in eastern Paris and the National Theatre of Strasbourg.
House approves $1.9T COVID-19 relief in partisan vote
The House on Wednesday approved President Biden’s sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package in a starkly partisan 220-211 vote, sending the legislation to the White House and clinching Democrats‘ first big legislative victory in the Bide
Unvaccinated Israeli Medical Students Barred From Clinical Training Programs
Israeli medical students and students in other health-care professions will be banned from participating in clinical training at hospitals and clinics unless they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, the Israeli Medical School Deans Forum announced on Sunday.
Unvaccinated students will also be prohibited from doing rounds in hospitals.
10 weeks until my wedding day and still none the wiser what we can actually do. Feeling let down is a massive understatement. Pensive face We have suppliers that need support and guidance too, so I’m asking AGAIN, where’s the guidance? @scullyp @BorisJohnson #whataboutweddings
MARY ELLEN SYNON: Why the roots of the EU’s vaccine catastrophe lie in Merkel’s shadowy past in Communist East Germany
As a young woman, Merkel was taught to believe in a Soviet system that folded 15 republics into a single state, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In the past few months, she has sacrificed all prospects of rapid vaccination – and the lives it would save – for her own population because of her dogmatic belief in folding 27 countries into a single state called the European Union.
As Filipp Piatov, head of opinion at the German newspaper Bild, wrote last week, even in such a vital matter Merkel preferred ideology to good politics – because she was ‘so eager to demonstrate the superiority of Brussels bureaucracy to the nation state’.
#NoMasksInClass : Dear Education Secretary…
By 15 February, the NHS had vaccinated the top four most at risk groups – groups that have accounted for around 88% of COVID-19 deaths and about 55% of hospitalisations. The UK’s four Chief Medical Officers say that you get “substantial protection within 2-3 weeks of vaccination”, which takes us to 8 March. So upon what evidence is your department relying in order to recommend that masks in classrooms are today necessary – rather than “nonsensical” – now that the four most vulnerable groups have “substantial protection”?
In January the Prime Minister said schools are safe. Then why are our children expected to wear masks in school all day, every day, from tomorrow ⁉️ This has to stop. Masks can harm children’s health and learning #NOMASKSINCLASS
Shaping the post-Covid World: Moving towards wellbeing over the lifetime as the unit of analysis in policy
Professor Paul Dolan, Professor of Behavioural Science, LSE
Professor Lord Richard Layard, Emeritus Professor of Economics, LSE
Lord Gus O’Donnell, Chair of Frontier Economics and Visiting Professor, LSE
Professor Liam Delaney, Professor of Behavioural Science, LSE
Dr ChristianKrekel, Assistant professor of Behavioural Science, LSE
Dr Jet Sanders, Assistant Professorof Behavioural Science, LSE
Dr Celia Blanco-Jimenez. Fellow in Behavioural Science, LSE
Dr Kate Laffan, Fellow in Behavioural Science,University College Dublin
Dr Georgios Kavetsos,Associate Professor in Behavioural Science, QMC London
Dr Laura Kudrna, Fellow in Behavioural Science, University of Birmingh
(…)
4.5. The foregoing discussion highlighted the importance of processes as well as outcomes, and so a separate wellbeing commission should be established …
Dr Anne McCloskey: It is an alarmist distortion of the facts to say 100,000 people in the UK have died of Covid
(05.03.2021)
A new directive from the WHO to every doctor changed fundamentally how deaths were attributed. Any death, within 28 days of a positive PCR test (which Kary Mullis, the test’s inventor, and Nobel Laureate was clear should not be used as a diagnostic tool) was to be included in the Covid fatality total, regardless of the context.
Where there was no positive test, but clinical symptoms compatible with Covid 19 that is fever, shortness of breath, loss of taste and so on, likewise, attribution to the virus on the death certificate was encouraged. Autopsies ceased.
Vaccine passports make no sense if the Covid jabs don’t stop you spreading the virus
(12.12.2020)
If, however, a vaccine does stop you carrying the virus, then we need to ask whether we’re comfortable with the soft coercion of vaccine certificates. No one complains about needing a yellow fever certificate to travel to many countries. On the other hand, displaying one in order to visit your local pub would feel a bit Stasi.
Tel Aviv hosts its first ‘Green Pass’ concert for the vaccinated
500 people allowed into 30,000-seat capacity Bloomfield Stadium to attend a performance by Israeli pop star Ivri Lider
Israel’s COVID Infection Rates Are Rising – but It May Not Matter That Much Now
(02.03.2021)
Health experts say most at-risk Israelis are now vaccinated, and they expect the number of seriously ill coronavirus patients to drop
What IS the truth about Covid deaths? Grieving relatives along with MPs and top medics demand inquiry as families reveal MORE loved ones they believe were wrongly certified as virus victims
Grieving families last night said deaths had been wrongly certified as Covid-19.
Demanding an inquiry, top medical experts and MPs also insisted they were ‘certain’ that too many fatalities were being blamed on the virus.
One funeral director said it was ‘a national scandal’. The claims are part of a Daily Mail investigation that raises serious questions over the spiralling death toll.
Government declares new state of emergency
The lower house on Friday rejected a proposal to extend the ongoing state of emergency due to the fact that it had been called at the request of regional governors and was thereby legally questionable.
House passes Joe Biden’s COVID relief bill with $1,400 stimulus checks, legislation heads to Senate
The bill, known as the American Rescue Plan, passed 219-212. No Republicans voted for it, and two Democrats voted against it: Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., and Jared Golden, D-Maine.
The measure now heads to the Senate where it faces a rocky path in the evenly divided chamber.
Senate Can’t Vote On $15 Minimum Wage, Parliamentarian Rules
The decision is a disappointment for progressives but relieves immediate pressure on Democratic Party leaders who are attempting to rally support for the overall bill despite concerns from at least two Democrats who say $15 is too high.
ROADMAP FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIONS BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION BASED ON THE COMMISSION COMMUNICATION AND THE COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION ON STRENGTHENING COOPERATION AGAINST VACCINE PREVENTABLE DISEASES
(March 2019)
Examine the feasibility of developing a common vaccination card/passport for EU citizens (that takes into account potentially different national vaccination schedules and), that is compatible with electronic immunisation information systems and recognised for use across borders, without duplicating work at national level.
As Israel Reopens, ‘Whoever Does Not Get Vaccinated Will Be Left Behind’
(18.02.2021)
New government and business initiatives are moving in the direction of a two-tier system for the vaccinated and unvaccinated, raising legal, moral and ethical questions.
What Angela Merkel’s Retirement This Year Means for Israel
Laschet is committed to Chancellor Merkel’s famous sentence, which she uttered when addressing the Knesset in Jerusalem in 2008, that Israel’s security is part of Germany’s raison d’être. According to Speich, “it is Laschet’s fundamental foreign policy conviction that Germany must commit itself to the security of Israel. It is a political obligation.”
Coronavirus Live: Knesset Passes Law Allowing Disclosing Identities of Unvaccinated to Authorities
The Knesset approved in a third and final vote a law allowing disclosing personal details of Israelis who have not been vaccinated.
The information will be given to local authorities, the Education Ministry and officials in the Welfare Ministr
Israeli studies find Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine reduces transmission
(19.02.2021)
Findings of the pre-published study, not yet peer-reviewed, but based on a national database that is one of the world’s most advanced, were first reported by the Israeli news site Ynet late on Thursday and were obtained by Reuters on Friday.
Pfizer declined to comment and the Israeli Health Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Covid: vaccinated Israelis to enjoy bars and hotels with ‘green pass’
(19.02.2021)
Israel is preparing itself to be split in half from next week, with the government creating a new privileged tier in society: the vaccinated.
Israel Reopens, With More COVID Rules Relaxed: Here’s Everything You Need to Know
Green Pass venues include houses of worship, cultural events, gyms, hotels and swimming pools. To enter, those eligible to do so will be required to present valid ID and a so-called Green Pass, vaccination certificate, or official document stating they had the virus and recovered, as relevant.
We surrendered our freedom to lockdown – the state must never hold such control over our lives again
We know that the trajectory of the virus has been indistinguishable between North Dakota (with masks and distancing in restaurants) and South Dakota (without restrictions). We know that California, which locked down and closed schools, seems to have fared worse than Florida, which did not. We can see that the picture in Belgium with its hard lockdowns has now converged with that in Sweden which famously took a voluntary approach. Similarly, the ‘second wave’ trajectory in Japan is remarkably similar to that of the UK.
I know, I know, fascinating stuff…. but let’s leave all that for the public inquiry.
DEADLY DATA: Plan to lift lockdown by Easter ‘was canned after Sage scientists warned it would cause 91,000 more deaths
Models predicted it would lead to nearly 60,000 Covid patients in hospital by June, compared to last month’s high of 39,000.
Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance spoke of his support for the gradual approach taken by PM Boris Johnson, saying: „The sooner you open up everything, the higher the risk of a bigger resurgence.
„The slower you do it, the better.“
Covid cases are UP for first time in SIX WEEKS with 10,641 new infections while deaths tumble to 178 in lowest toll since December 13 – and Britain dishes out just 150,000 vaccines in worst performance since inoculation drive started
– Department of Health figures show infections are 9 per cent up on last Monday, when 9,765 were declared
– But laboratory-confirmed coronavirus fatalities have dropped by almost a quarter, from 230 last Monday
– Britain dished out 150,000 vaccines yesterday, in worst daily toll since roll-out began to speed up last month
Boris, Whitty and Vallance dismiss Tory and business fury at ultra-cautious lockdown ‚roadmap‘ saying the country wants ‚certainty not urgency‘ – with shops, salons and drinks outside from April 12 but no foreign travel before mid-MAY or hugs until June
Social distancing rules will stay in force until June 21 at the minimum, with a government review to decide their future after that. The decision means that grandparents face months of waiting before they can hug their grandchildren – even though millions have already been vaccinated.
Tories demand ‚irreversible‘ lockdown easing and slam Boris for moving too slowly as he prepares to unveil ‚roadmap‘ with ALL schools to return on March 8 and Rule of Six back by April – but shops, salons and pubs face waiting MONTHS
The PM is set to reveal his ‚roadmap‘ in a statement to the Commons this afternoon once it is rubber-stamped by Cabinet, after scientists seemingly won the battle for a slow approach regardless of the surging vaccination drive.
But the Oxford/AstraZeneca team, which uses more traditional viral vector technology, says that while it can make a new formulation in days, it takes much longer to produce.
(09.02.2021)
It expects to have a vaccine designed to address the variant discovered in South Africa ready by autumn.