Archiv: social control / privileges / selection / isolation / „special treatment“


18.05.2021 - 05:48 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

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.

06.05.2021 - 08:42 [ WHO.int ]

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.

30.04.2021 - 06:32 [ i24news.tv ]

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.“

28.04.2021 - 06:11 [ New York Times ]

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.

28.04.2021 - 06:09 [ 10tv.com ]

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.

27.04.2021 - 14:00 [ teleSUR ]

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,

26.04.2021 - 06:55 [ EU Commission / EU Kommission - ec.europa.eu ]

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.

26.04.2021 - 06:46 [ New York Times ]

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.

26.04.2021 - 06:25 [ CNN ]

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.

25.04.2021 - 05:07 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

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

25.04.2021 - 05:01 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

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“.

24.04.2021 - 19:13 [ Express.co.uk ]

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.

24.04.2021 - 19:04 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

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.

22.04.2021 - 18:54 [ BBC ]

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.

21.04.2021 - 18:59 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

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.

17.04.2021 - 05:57 [ ec.europa.eu ]

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.

10.04.2021 - 11:05 [ Spiked ]

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.

08.04.2021 - 19:02 [ Big Brother Watch ]

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.“

08.04.2021 - 18:53 [ theHill.com ]

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.

08.04.2021 - 18:22 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

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

06.04.2021 - 11:06 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

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.

06.04.2021 - 10:56 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

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.

05.04.2021 - 15:14 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

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.

05.04.2021 - 15:10 [ Graham Brady / Telegraph.co.uk ]

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.

05.04.2021 - 15:07 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

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.

04.04.2021 - 12:20 [ theGuardian.com ]

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

02.04.2021 - 12:00 [ Big Brother Watch ]

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.

02.04.2021 - 11:55 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

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

02.04.2021 - 11:13 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

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.

28.03.2021 - 23:21 [ The Guardian ]

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.”

28.03.2021 - 16:55 [ Jerusalem Post ]

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.

28.03.2021 - 16:09 [ FRANCE 24 English / Youtube ]

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?

28.03.2021 - 15:33 [ Russia Insight / Youtube ]

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.

27.03.2021 - 16:41 [ WIkipedia ]

Skid Row, Los Angeles

Skid Row was established by city officials in 1976 as an unofficial „containment zone“, where shelters and services for homeless people would be tolerated.[19]

During the 1970s, two Catholic Workers — Catherine Morris, a former nun, and her husband, Jeff Dietrich — founded the „Hippie Kitchen“ in the back of a van. Over forty years later, in March 2019, aged 84 and 72, they remained active in their work feeding Skid Row residents.[20]

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, many veterans of the Vietnam War found themselves drawn to Skid Row, due to the services and missions already in place there, and feeling outcast from other areas. Like those after World War II, many of them ended up on the streets. It was around this time that the demographics of Skid Row shifted from predominantly white and elderly to those here today [see Demographics].

27.03.2021 - 16:35 [ BBC ]

Los Angeles: Why tens of thousands of people sleep rough

(19 September 2019)

In 1976, city officials established Skid Row as an unofficial „containment zone“, where homeless people, shelters and services would be tolerated. As a result, most visitors to the parts of Los Angeles that attracted visitors from around the world never saw a homeless person.

18.03.2021 - 12:35 [ EU Kommission / EU Commission ]

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.

18.03.2021 - 12:04 [ Express.co.uk ]

‘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.

18.03.2021 - 12:00 [ Express.co.uk ]

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.

18.03.2021 - 11:55 [ Wall Street Journal ]

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.

17.03.2021 - 20:54 [ Haaretz ]

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.

14.03.2021 - 13:08 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

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.

14.03.2021 - 12:20 [ Men In Black, Denmark / Facebook ]

Men In Black, Denmark was live.

(video)

14.03.2021 - 12:17 [ Inez023 / Twitter ]

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.

14.03.2021 - 11:14 [ inventnews9.blogspot.com ]

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.

13.03.2021 - 23:41 [ Zol Neveri / Twitter ]

Dresden anti-lockdown protest Some people have had enough and they are fighting back

09.03.2021 - 11:30 [ Haaretz ]

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.

07.03.2021 - 10:43 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

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.

07.03.2021 - 10:37 [ Times of Israel ]

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

07.03.2021 - 10:31 [ Haaretz ]

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

26.02.2021 - 03:40 [ ec.europa.eu ]

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.

25.02.2021 - 08:07 [ New York Times ]

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.

24.02.2021 - 13:04 [ Haaretz ]

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

23.02.2021 - 11:19 [ Reuters ]

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.

23.02.2021 - 11:15 [ theGuardian.com ]

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.

23.02.2021 - 10:43 [ Haaretz ]

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.

23.02.2021 - 06:03 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

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.

15.02.2021 - 10:52 [ .i24news.tv ]

Israel advances bill to compel unvaccinated workers to test for COVID-19 every two days

Israel’s Health Ministry is formulating a legislation that will provide workplaces that receive customers the legal framework to compel employees who refuse to vaccinate against COVID-19 to test for the disease every two days, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said Monday, according to outlet Ynet.

15.02.2021 - 10:35 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu Labels Unvaccinated Israelis as the New Enemy

Netanyahu has tied his fate in the election to COVID vaccinations, and suspicion arises that his proposals are influenced by personal considerations. Meanwhile, disclosing names of Israelis who have yet to get vaccinated paves way for severe infringement of privacy.

12.02.2021 - 02:11 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Powerful ‚Covid O‘ Cabinet committee is set to consider plans for ‚vaccine passports‘ tomorrow amid hopes they could save summer holidays

The critical ‚Covid O‘ Cabinet sub-committee is expected to look at proposals for assembling a system that could loosen restrictions on international travel.

However, there are not expected to be any final decisions – and no date has been mooted for when the arrangements might come into force.

28.01.2021 - 18:41 [ Desmond Swayne, Member of Parliament ]

Demoralising the NHS?

(17.01.2021)

I have been criticised by a family doctor on the grounds that a question I put to the PM in Parliament was ‘demoralising for NHS staff’.
I am at a loss as to how this could be the case.
The question to the PM was this:
“Pubs cannot compete with supermarkets for off-sales. Even within a household, people cannot play tennis or golf. Notwithstanding the assault on liberty and livelihoods, why are the regulations pervaded by a pettifogging malice?”

28.01.2021 - 18:30 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Breaking…a sweat! Moment fitness instructor’s online class is interrupted by three police officers who were wrongly tipped off she was breaching Covid rules at gym

A fitness instructor’s online class was interrupted by three police officers who were given an incorrect tip off saying she was breaking coronavirus restrictions.

28.01.2021 - 18:25 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Cut and run! Moment beauty salon customers including woman wearing towel with hair dye still on her head flee as it’s raided by police for staying open during lockdown

CCTV footage shows eight people making a run for it after escaping through the fire exit. One woman can be seen with a towel covering her shoulders and treatment still on her roots.

Gwent Police found the tanning beds had recently been used and beauty treatments had been taking place.

10.01.2021 - 14:52 [ Ezra Levant / Twitter ]

MARTIAL LAW: The province of Quebec, Canada is now under police rule. Every night from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. no-one is allowed onto the streets. Police cars are driving through neighborhoods, sirens blaring, scanning for dissidents to arrest. $6,000 fines – enough to destroy families.

(today)

Another police car, siren blaring, driving through residential neighborhoods with the sole purpose of terrifying the public into submission. A far greater infringement of civil liberties than the FLQ crisis 50 year ago.

10.01.2021 - 09:41 [ NewStatesman.com ]

How Palantir is quietly extending its reach through the British state

As Palantir’s executives were preparing over the summer to release shares publicly for the first time, they faced a challenge: how do you convince investors to buy into a 17-year-old company that has never turned a profit?

10.01.2021 - 09:25 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Police ‚are told to fine Covid rule-breakers after just ONE verbal warning‘ as three officers ‚arrest a woman for sitting on a bench‘ and another is surrounded for ‚leaving her house more than once‘

– Officers will ‚move through the gears‘ and fine people £200 if they think a person is flouting the restrictions
– It comes as footage showed three police officers surrounding a woman for leaving her house more than once
– Another four officers appear to arrest a different woman for what she claims was ’sitting on a bench‘ by sea

08.01.2021 - 18:43 [ Spiked ]

The totalitarian hell of lockdown

Debate, dissent and independent thought are not allowed in Covid Britain.

08.01.2021 - 18:41 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Freedom of expression fears grow as tough new Ofcom code classes ‚political opinion‘ in its definition of hate speech

(04.01.2021)

Tory MP Iain Duncan Smith said: ‚We are drifting into a totalitarian ‚woke‘ state where nothing can ever be said for fear that somebody will be offended. It’s madness, and it’s driven by a small minority. Most people don’t care.‘

08.01.2021 - 18:18 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Now police ban SNOWBALLS! Officers threaten to fine people £200 for playing in the snow – after swooping on friends for driving just SEVEN miles to go for a walk in the park – and claiming their cups of tea counted as a picnic

– The West Mercia police force tweeted: ‚There have been two reports of snowballs being thrown last night‘
– Came as friends were surrounded, read their rights and fined £200 each after driving seven miles for a walk
– Derbyshire Police has previously been criticised for using drones to film dog walkers and dying lagoon black
– Priti Patel insisted it’s ‚right‘ for officers to confront Britons sat on park benches after criticism of their tactics
– Officers in England and Wales have handed out more than 30,000 fines under coronavirus laws since March

08.01.2021 - 10:29 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

100,000 Britons abroad face scramble to find a covid test or risk being stranded as government rules travellers will be BANNED from entering UK without a negative test – within DAYS

It is expected to cause a scramble for return flights as around 100,000 Brits are currently away in hotspots such as Dubai and the Maldives.

Ministers agreed the strict measures last night amid growing pressure to tighten borders – but have not confirmed a start date, although it is expected to be next week.

08.01.2021 - 10:15 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Covid crackdown Britain: Drivers are turned away from beauty spots while police question parents with pushchairs about where they are going and FOUR cops surround man outside Tube station

– Scotland Yard revealed that officers will be told to stop civilians in the street and ask why they are not at home
– MailOnline witnessed patrols out in force in Hammersmith today stopping Tube travellers and drivers
– Police in Derbyshire stopped people outside National Trust property including a woman desperate for the loo
– Officers in Birmingham City Center questioned a couple with pushchair to ask what business they had in town
– Priti Patel backs police to demand answers about why public are out with a ’stay at home‘ order in place
– This includes approaching people in parks, drivers out and about and going to homes if they are very noisy
– Police arrested 28 demonstrators for flouting restrictions and fined four men £800 for driving to McDonald’s

08.01.2021 - 10:01 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Three people are charged with assaulting police after officers entered family’s home ‚after being told too many people were inside‘

She said: ‚My house. That is bullying. This is my house. Get out of my house. I did not ask you in here.‘

A young boy can be seen in the video as the woman’s daughter said: ‚Just stop it mum‘.

Two women, aged 18 and 48, and a 43-year-old man were charged in connection with assaulting police officers and threatening and abusive behaviour, according to Police Scotland.

06.01.2021 - 14:05 [ Spiked ]

It’s the pro-lockdown lobby that is spreading fake news

This is the stage of lockdown authoritarianism we have now reached: anyone who questions the lockdown will be branded a liar and a hoodwinker who should be expelled from public life, while the cheerers of lockdown, those self-styled saviours of lives, can say whatever they want with very few repercussions.

06.01.2021 - 13:37 [ Jim Reaper / Twitter ]

There is no exit strategy you fool. It never ends. The only non-violent way for it to end is if a majority of Tory MP’s overthrow Johnson, but they are too snivelling and cowardly to do that.

06.01.2021 - 13:30 [ BBC ]

Coronavirus: MPs back in Parliament for England lockdown vote

However, with Labour saying it will support the measures, the law enforcing them is likely to be approved.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is updating the Commons now, telling MPs – many of whom are participating remotely – that says the vaccine programme provides a „means of escape“ from the current lockdown, with 1.3 million people in UK already vaccinated.

06.01.2021 - 13:25 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Met Police WILL stop people ‚with no good reason to have left home‘, fine groups over two and issue on the spot £200 penalties for mask flouters – as forces say officers should be able to FORCE entry into rule-breakers‘ homes as law is published in full

Police today vowed to fine anyone not wearing a mask, groups of more than two or anyone out of the house without ‚good reason‘ at least £200 on the spot with one force ready to smash their way into homes to break-up parties, MailOnline can reveal.

05.01.2021 - 08:39 [ @shawalzy / Twitter ]

Can’t wait for the ‚Tier 19 Annual Hunger Games‘ where all districts battle it out for visiting Greggs privileges. #lockdownthoughts #lockdown

05.01.2021 - 08:32 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

‚What I’ll look like when we FINALLY get out of lockdown‘: Brits wearily take to social media to ponder how long it will be before they are free again

– Britons have taken to social media to mock the prospect of a third lockdown
– Boris Johnson unveiled a new set of restrictions in his address to nation last night

04.01.2021 - 22:34 [ Diogo Simão Lemos / Twitter ]

• @ECDC_EU assesses that the probability of #SARSCoV2 VOC 202012/01 and 501.V2 being introduced and further spread in the EU/EEA is currently 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡. 1/4

(29.12.2020)

(…)

Therefore, the overall risk of an increased impact on health systems in the coming weeks is assessed as 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡. 4/4

04.01.2021 - 22:31 [ yenisafak.com ]

ECDC releases report on new COVID-19 strain

(22 Dec 2020)

Noting that the ECDC’s report on the new strain was published last night, Balik said “this mutant variant has been named SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01 [Variant Under Investigation, year 2020, month 12, variant 01] for now.”

Balik said the report points out the importance of a comprehensive examination of the new strain.

04.01.2021 - 22:25 [ Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom / Twitter ]

WATCH LIVE: My update on coronavirus. (4 January 2021)

04.01.2021 - 22:24 [ Mirror.co.uk ]

Covid updates: Boris Johnson plunges England into third lockdown with schools shut

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the weeks ahead would be the „hardest yet“ but added that he believed the country was entering „the last phase of the struggle“ with coronavirus

04.01.2021 - 17:59 [ Wikispooks.com ]

Document:Senior spy appointed to lead UK’s joint biosecurity centre

(05.06.2020)

Clare Gardiner, head of cyber resilience and strategy at the UK National Cyber Security Centre — a branch of signals intelligence agency GCHQ — will become the centre’s first director-general, responsible for advising ministers on the “alert level” for the virus; which is similar to assessing the terror threat.

Ms Gardiner’s role at the NCSC involves advising businesses and public organisations on how to improve their cyber defences, and she will return to this post after her secondment at the centre. But her research background in epidemiology and medical statistics make her well-suited to the role, according to one person familiar with her appointment.

She will report to Dido Harding, who is in charge of the NHS test and trace service.

The decision to put a security official in charge is likely to cause consternation among public health experts, who have questioned whether the template of a terror analysis centre is appropriate for managing a viral pandemic,

04.01.2021 - 17:48 [ Nick Eardley / Twitter ]

NEW: Sources have told the BBC the Covid threat level – decided by the Joint Biosecurity Centre, which includes the UK’s four Chief Medical Officers – is being moved up to 5, the highest level. This is different from tiers

04.01.2021 - 17:40 [ MorningAdvertiser.co.uk ]

‘No hard evidence on curfew’ admits Gov adviser Vallance

(09 Dec 2020)

Vallance and chief medical officer Chris Whitty were asked if there was something that could be done in the structure in scientific advice that could be a bit more forensic about those restrictions on the sector that have a very big impact on certain people. The scientific advisers said they are trying very hard to get data but can´t give specific data on it, and nor can anyone else across the world.

04.01.2021 - 17:17 [ Independent.co.uk ]

Matt Hancock blames Covid spread on public as government under pressure for new lockdown

Health secretary Matt Hancock has said that Boris Johnson’s tier system is “no longer strong enough” to deal with the new more virulent variant of coronavirus.

04.01.2021 - 17:10 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

England goes BACK into full lockdown: Boris will plunge country into March-style curbs in 8pm TV address tonight – with fears schools will be shut and households banned from mixing for MONTHS as COVID alert is raised to top level

– Boris Johnson is set to announce a dramatic new national lockdown for England amid mutant Covid crisis
– Ex-health secretary Jeremy Hunt urged immediate closure of schools, borders with household mixing ban
– Matt Hancock said the tiers were no longer strong enough to deal with the mutant version of coronavirus
– Suggested public’s failure to comply with all the rules was to blame for inability to control outbreaks in Tier 4
– PM warned that curbs are about to get ‚tougher‘ – and admitted he is considering further closures of schools
– Government’s core ‚Covid-O‘ committee has met this morning to decide on the next steps in the response

03.01.2021 - 07:06 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

PETER HITCHENS: Guess where Professor Lockdown got his ideas … China’s police state

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said at the time that it was ‘just not possible’ for Ferguson to continue advising the Government. But this was not true. The professor was said to have resigned from the SAGE advisory committee. But did he? Not really. A current State website lists him as a member of the ‘New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group’ (NERVTAG). Minutes suggest he was only ever away from that for a few weeks.

01.01.2021 - 07:48 [ New Yorker ]

Our Year in Hell

And yet, uncanny though it might be, the imagery of an actual pandemic is, truth be told, considerably less melodramatic than the cinematic version. Often, when we call something “unimaginable,” what we really mean is more like “too oft imagined.” We actually have been here before, in every pandemic movie, in that Will Smith one with the zombies, for instance—and, in the zombie movie, the people are slavering in the streets. In the real one, the streets are merely empty.

01.01.2021 - 07:44 [ Mirror.co.uk ]

New York’s Times Square is ‚ghost town‘ as Covid-struck US sees in New Year

The same place that last year saw over a million people pack in to watch the annual tradition as well as live music performances was far more somber.

Only a handful of invited guests, including health care workers and others from the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, gathered to usher in the New Year.

04.12.2020 - 21:50 [ CNN ]

Vaccination cards will be issued to everyone getting Covid-19 vaccine, health officials say

(02.12.2020)

„Everyone will be issued a written card that they can put in their wallet that will tell them what they had and when their next dose is due,“ Moore said. „Let’s do the simple, easy thing first. Everyone’s going to get that.“

04.12.2020 - 21:47 [ Zero Hedge ]

‚Immunity Cards‘ To Be Issued To All Americans; Enable CDC To Track COVID-19 Vaxx Status In Database

On Wednesday the Department of Defense released the first images of a COVID-19 vaccination record card as well as vaccination kits, according to CNN.

„Everyone will be issued a written card that they can put in their wallet that will tell them what they had and when their next dose is due,“ says Dr. Kelly Moore, associate director of the Immunization Action Coalition.

04.12.2020 - 21:33 [ theLocal.ch ]

‚Freedom Pass‘: Will Switzerland introduce a British-style coronavirus immunity card?

Ruth Humbel, a National Councillor with the Swiss People’s Party, said that people who are immune to the virus should receive a card or certificate which will allow them to participate in certain activities, such as going to football games, clubs or travelling, 20 Minutes reports.

04.12.2020 - 21:24 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

No10 stops short of ruling out Covid ‚immunity passports‘ despite saying it is ’not something the PM wants‘ – as Wales raises fears of spot checks at pubs and shops by bringing in ID-style cards for people who get vaccine

– Pfizer vaccines licensed by UK regulator and will be distributed from next week
– Wales says people will be issued with ID-style cards to show they have had jab
– Fears that pubs and shops could demand proof of vaccine before allowing entry

03.12.2020 - 19:54 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Why is the Pfizer vaccine so difficult to transport? Light, temperatures above -70C and movement ALL speed up the chemical reactions that destroy fragile mRNA — meaning care homes have been sidelined

The approval of Pfizer/BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday was hailed as the light at the end of the lockdown tunnel that could finally revert Britain back to pre-pandemic normality.

But the breakthrough jab — shown to be 95 per cent effective at blocking Covid-19 infection — has thrown up a series of logistical hurdles that make getting the vaccine to those who need it most challenging, including care homes.

06.11.2020 - 12:37 [ itv.com ]

Angry students pull down security fences erected around halls of residence

The fences were erected on Thursday at the University of Manchester’s Fallowfield campus as a “security measure” to “help avoid the mixing of households”.

06.11.2020 - 12:32 [ BBC ]

New lockdown: Manchester University students pull down campus fences

Students have torn down „prison-like“ fencing erected around their campus on day one of England’s new lockdown.

Those living at the University of Manchester’s Fallowfield halls of residence awoke to find workers putting up „huge metal barriers“.

31.10.2020 - 21:41 [ NBC New York ]

NYC Sheriffs Bust Illegal Halloween Party With Almost 400 People at Brooklyn Warehouse

Deputies said they found three walk-up bars inside as well as a DJ for what appeared to be a Halloween-themed celebration. They shut down the party and charged people for resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and violating pandemic executive orders that put a ban on mass gathering.

29.10.2020 - 05:51 [ marketscreener.com ]

EU warns not enough COVID vaccines for all in Europe until 2022

(27.10.2020)

The EU has so far secured doses of the potential vaccines being developed by AstraZeneca, Sanofi and Johnson & Johnson. It has also said it is in talks with …

27.10.2020 - 06:57 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

FIFTY Northern Tory MPs mount a lockdown revolt: Boris faces a ‚red wall‘ rebellion and demands for an ‚exit map‘ – as eight million people are plunged into toughest coronavirus restrictions with addition of Nottingham and Warrington to Tier 3

A letter to Boris Johnson from the Northern Research Group – a newly-launched alliance of Tory MPs led by ex-Northern Powerhouse minister Jake Berry – outlines the group’s demands, which include a tailored economic recovery plan for the north.

Mr Berry says that the virus could widen the North-South divide and ’send the North into reverse‘. His group is now calling for Mr Johnson to ‚level-up the North‘ – something the PM claimed he would do following sweeping Conservative gains in the region in the General Election.

27.10.2020 - 06:46 [ Bloomberg ]

Boris Johnson Hit by Lockdown Revolt From More Than 50 Tories

The MPs reminded Johnson of his promises to “level up” disadvantaged parts of the country, which helped persuade voters in former industrial heartlands last December to back his Tories instead of the opposition Labour Party many had supported for decades.

24.10.2020 - 11:40 [ amny.com ]

De Blasio calls Trump’s NYC ‘ghost town’ description ‘unfair,’ Manhattan offices could fill up more by early 2021

As of Sept. 18, only 10% of Manhattan office workers had returned to their buildings, the Wall Street Journal reported late last month.

De Blasio confirmed that City Hall had indeed been considering bringing back more of its workforce, but new developments were put on hold due to the recent COVID clusters in Brooklyn and Queens.

18.10.2020 - 11:34 [ Liz Hicks / Twitter ]

Curfew on restaurants and bars in Berlin from 11pm found to lack proportionality by Berlin Admin Court: no evidence infection more likely after 11pm; evidence restaurants & bars were sites of lower transmission.

Berlin Senate is appealing #covid19 #berlin

18.10.2020 - 11:26 [ euronews.com ]

Berlin bar shutdown: ‚No time to party‘ says mayor amid rising coronavirus cases

(10.10.2020)

„This is not the time to party“, insisted Berlin’s democratic mayor, Michael Müller. „We want to prevent another more severe lockdown“, he added, with a particular message for people under 40.

Angela Merkel argued in favour of the measure on Friday, after consulting mayors from Germany’s 11 largest cities.

18.10.2020 - 11:25 [ theGuardian.com ]

Berlin nightlife given first curfew in 70 years as Covid cases surge

(07.10.2020)

The rate of new cases in the inner-city districts that host Berlin’s nightlife were higher still: of seven hotspots listed by Germany’s disease control agency as having a seven-day incidence of more than 50 cases per 100,000 people, four are in the heart of the capital. Trendy Neukölln leads the pack, with 288 new cases recorded over the course of the last week.

17.10.2020 - 23:28 [ Fox News ]

Federal judge says Cuomo coronavirus restrictions may turn NYC ‘desolate,’ but allows them

Brooklyn U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan said safety restrictions and guidelines may even “turn New York City into a very different, even desolate, place compared to how it was before the pandemic,” but he declined to grant a preliminary injunction against rules that prohibit restaurants from serving food after midnight. Indoor dining is also restricted to 25% capacity as of Sept. 30.

17.10.2020 - 23:07 [ NBC New York ]

Judge Refuses to Block Cuomo’s COVID Restrictions After Brooklyn Catholic Diocese Files Lawsuit

Ruling in a lawsuit brought by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas Garaufis said in an order Friday that even though the rules harm religious groups, it is not in the public interest to block them if they are helping prevent a wave of new infections.

17.10.2020 - 23:02 [ Jerry Dunleavy / Twitter ]

With help from the Becket Fund, New York’s Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam school for Jewish girls just filed a lawsuit against the recent coronavirus lockdown orders imposed by NY Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.

13.10.2020 - 15:19 [ BournemouthEcho.co.uk ]

LIVE: updates after new three-tier Covid system is announced

– A new three-tier strategy of local lockdown measures for England has been announced by Boris Johnson in efforts to curb rising Covid-19 rates
– Different areas of England will be split up into medium, high and very high alert levels
– These areas will be subject to the same national measures which currently apply across the country including a 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants and the ‚rule of six‘

13.10.2020 - 15:16 [ theGuardian.com ]

Three-tier Covid plan for England: what it means and how it may work

Any details of the plan are based solely on leaks to the media over the last week, including a document dated 30 September that was seen by the Guardian.

The draft traffic-light-style plan is designed to simplify the current patchwork of localised restrictions, which apply to about a quarter of the UK.

12.10.2020 - 11:38 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

Travel latest news: British hospitality to launch legal action over expected lockdown restrictions

Following the announcement of a new three-tier lockdown system, which will see areas with higher Covid rates imposed with harsher measures, the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) is leading a revolt against new rules that could see thousands of bars and restaurants ordered to close.

Two of the country’s biggest brewers and pub operators, Joseph Holt and JW Lees, are also involved in the challenge, alongside a further 10 hospitality businesses and organisations.

12.10.2020 - 11:30 [ theSun.co.uk ]

BED TO WORSE: New 3-tier lockdown rules: Boris Johnson to ban overnight stays and non-essential travel in Covid hotspots

OVERNIGHT stays will be forbidden in northern virus hotspots for four weeks, Boris Johnson will announce today.

As well as the bed ban, residents can only leave the highest risk regions for essential travel such as work, education or health reasons, and must return that day.

11.10.2020 - 02:40 [ theGuardian.com ]

PM ‘betraying his red wall voters’ over lockdown cash

Burnham told the Observer that by offering to pay only two-thirds of the wages of people hit by new closures – as opposed to the 80% which applied nationally under the original furlough scheme – ministers would be punishing people in the north in a way that was completely unacceptable.

Burnham said the Conservatives were betraying the people in so-called “red wall” seats who they had persuaded to vote Tory at the general election last December with pledges to “level up” the country.

11.10.2020 - 02:30 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

Millions will be ordered not to leave their local areas in new Covid clampdown

Millions of people will be asked not to travel outside their local areas and could be banned from mixing with other households, even outdoors, amid fears that some hospitals in the North-West could be overwhelmed within days.

This weekend, Downing Street was briefing mayors and council leaders on the planned three-tier „Local Covid Alert Levels“ system of restrictions for England, expected to be announced by Boris Johnson on Monday.

09.10.2020 - 20:00 [ Gothamist.com ]

Zoned Coronavirus Shutdown Of Parts Of Brooklyn And Queens Is Now In Effect. Here’s What We Know

The maps were drafted in consultation with health experts including former city health commissioner and Centers for Disease Control director Dr. Tom Frieden, Dr. Noam Ross of EcoHealth Alliance, and Dr. Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota.

08.10.2020 - 18:00 [ El Pais ]

Madrid High Court strikes down Health Ministry’s coronavirus restrictions

There was confusion on Thursday as to the immediate effects of the ruling, although it was confirmed that fines cannot now be levied on citizens who flout the perimetral confinement of 10 cities in the region, including the Spanish capital. The court ruling does not, however, have an effect on the other restrictions imposed, such as capacity limits for bars and restaurants, and early closing times for all establishments, as well as a limit of six people for meetings both in public and private.

08.10.2020 - 13:45 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Professors ‚Glum and Glummer‘ Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance should be banned from Covid press briefings, says leading lawyer who warns the Government has been ‚captured‘ by scientists

(03.10.2020)

Last month, Professor Whitty and Sir Patrick – dubbed Glum and Glummer by critics – held their own press conference, warning the infection rate could rise to 50,000 cases a day by mid-October.

08.10.2020 - 13:34 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Boris’s Red Wall revolt: Northerners rage at ‚dictator‘ PM for using them as a ‚petri dish for experimentation‘ as it emerges 10 MILLION people in COVID hotspots will be plunged into ‚Tier Three‘ lockdown on Monday with pubs and restaurants SHUT

Conservative MPs and local leaders in the North have been venting fury about the government’s stance, with former minister Jake Berry accusing the premier of being ‚London-centric‘ and enjoying his sweeping emergency powers ‚a little bit too much‘.

Politicians in Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield raged at ‚diktats announced without notice‘ and said ministers were treating the North like a ‚petri dish for experimentation‘ while the South gets off lightly.

08.10.2020 - 13:30 [ Spectator.co.uk ]

Divided nation: will Covid rules tear the country apart?

The north-south split could cost the Tories their majority

05.10.2020 - 22:19 [ Madrid No Frills ]

Selective confinement reawakens Vallekas’ ancient spirit of resistance

In contrast, in non-restricted areas, people are free to travel to different neighbourhoods and continue their regular activities. The selective confinement has left many people feeling disappointed and confused. “In the end, it’s a little absurd […] every day, people in the neighbourhood have to leave their neighbourhoods and take public transport to go to do their work in other neighbourhoods that are not confined,” explains Miguel, a local to Vallekas.

05.10.2020 - 22:15 [ Alexis Lahorra / Twitter ]

Honoured to have written an article for @madridnofrills about what’s been going on in Vallekas and in Madrid, Spain, during these past few weeks.

#Madrid #Spain #Vallecas #Vallekas

05.10.2020 - 20:55 [ New York Times ]

Cuomo Won’t Approve Closing of Businesses in 9 Hard-Hit N.Y.C. Areas

Indeed, the governor also announced that the state would take over supervision of enforcement of mask and social-distancing rules in the hot spot clusters, presumably putting the State Police in charge of New York City Police Department officers.

05.10.2020 - 20:49 [ JTA.org ]

New York governor moves to close yeshivas – and possibly synagogues

That deadline is a day earlier than Mayor Bill de Blasio had set — and equally irrelevant for the hundreds of Jewish schools in the areas, most of which are closed right now because of the Sukkot holiday.

Cuomo also announced that he would take over efforts to enforce social distancing and mask mandates in New York City areas with rising cases, many of which are home to significant Orthodox populations.

05.10.2020 - 20:38 [ Jewish Deplorable / Twitter ]

BREAKING: Cuomo sides with de Blasio’s plan to shut down schools in primarily Jewish areas, threatens to ban religious gatherings

05.10.2020 - 16:06 [ NPR.org ]

NYC To Close Businesses In Parts Of Brooklyn And Queens As Virus Takes Hold Again

After initially leading the nation in positive coronavirus tests, New York City was able to get the virus under control earlier this year through strong messaging on the importance of social distancing and the widespread closures of businesses. But in recent weeks, city officials and residents had been watching the numbers tick back up, particularly in Orthodox Jewish areas.

05.10.2020 - 15:56 [ CBS News ]

New York City looking to close some areas seeing coronavirus surge

Over the past two weeks, the number of new cases of the virus has been rising in pockets of the city, predominantly in neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens that are home to the city’s large Orthodox Jewish population.

05.10.2020 - 15:38 [ Spiked ]

The revolt against lockdown

Meanwhile, protests have raged again in Madrid, following the imposition of localised measures on particular districts that protesters say are punishing the poor. Comments made by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the president of the Madrid region, suggesting ‘the way of life of immigrants’ was partly to blame for the rises in cases, have also sparked a fierce backlash.

A manifesto signed by various neighbourhood groups denounces the new measures as racist and classist, arguing that they single out the ‘individual behaviours’ of poorer residents for scorn when in all neighbourhoods rules are being broken.

03.10.2020 - 19:12 [ Ansa.it ]

Extending COVID emergency not abuse of power – Conte

Conte said the government would consult with parliament over extending the emergency until January 31.

03.10.2020 - 18:46 [ medicalxpress.com ]

‚Hi, this is the army‘: In Spain, troops tackle track-and-trace

At the headquarters of Spain’s armed forces in central Madrid is a room with a sign on the door reading „Epidemiological surveillance department“.

Inside, a team of around a dozen people, headsets on, are working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, each making between 70 and 80 daily calls to identify those who’ve been in touch with someone who’s tested positive for COVID.

„I’m a contact tracer for the region of Madrid, I got your number from someone who has tested positive. Firstly, where are you right now?“ says one, using a phrase that will be repeated throughout the day.

03.10.2020 - 18:39 [ ABC News ]

Madrid starts partial virus lockdown amid political dispute

Spain’s national government ordered two weeks of new restrictions that started at 10 p.m. Friday (2000 GMT) despite reluctance from regional officials.

The measures prohibit all nonessential trips in and out of the capital and nine of its suburbs — affecting around 4.8 million people.

27.09.2020 - 18:49 [ Elke lopez reccio / Twitter ]

VALLEKAS SERÁ LA TUMBA DEL FASCISMO!

27.09.2020 - 18:44 [ Arganzuela 27 / Twitter ]

¡Vallekas puerto en guerra! ¡Madrid siempre antifascista!

27.09.2020 - 18:40 [ @xthetrinchox / Twitter ]

Madrid… Spain. The ghetto! They close some poor neighborhoods like Vallecas

25.09.2020 - 15:05 [ BBC ]

Blair to tackle ‚menace‘ children

(31. August 2006)

And one think tank suggested it was almost „genetic determinism“ to suggest children could turn out to be troublemakers before they were born.

Mr Blair told BBC News his government had made „massive progress“ in tackling social exclusion but there was a group of people with multiple problems.

There had to be intervention „pre-birth even“, he said.

Families with drug and alcohol problems were being identified too late, said Mr Blair.

25.09.2020 - 15:01 [ HuffingtonPost.co.uk ]

London Faces Local Lockdown After Being Placed On Coronavirus Watchlist

“Ministers simply have to get a grip. It’s vital that testing capacity is increased immediately in London and focused in the areas it is needed most.

25.09.2020 - 14:57 [ StarTribune.com ]

The Latest: Lockdowns imposed in several British cities

The council leader in the northern England city of Leeds says people will be barred from meeting members of other households indoors or in backyards. The measure affects more than 750,000 people.

In Cardiff, Swansea and Llanelli in Wales, households will be banned from mixing indoors.

Meanwhile London, home to almost 9 million people, is being labelled an „area of concern.“

25.09.2020 - 14:50 [ Reuters ]

Madrid authorities extends partial lockdown in the region

The regional government of the Spanish capital Madrid extended a partial lockdown from Monday to 45 health areas of the region, affecting more than one million people,

25.09.2020 - 14:47 [ journalpioneer.com ]

Spanish government wants partial Madrid city lockdown, local authorities differ

The Madrid region authorities have ordered a lockdown in 45 areas, mainly the poorest ones, where the contagion rate is above 1000 cases per 100,000 people.

23.09.2020 - 04:38 [ International Telecommunication Union ]

The ITU 2020 Global CyberDrill, September-November 2020

The main objectives of this CyberDrill are as follows:

– Provide situational awareness to key public and private sector participants who lead their firms, organizations, or jurisdictions during a cyber disruption;- Bring the CERT/CIRT/CSIRT community together in a unified exercise to build global response and recovery capabilities;
– Test operational resiliency key concepts across CSIRT/CIRT/CERT community;
– Identify, exercise, and foster the improvement of processes, procedures, interactions and information sharing mechanisms that exist or should exist among CERTs/CSIRTs, SOCs, agencies, public bodies, and across regional organizations responsible for crisis management and regulatory bodies;
– Exercise coordination mechanisms, information sharing efforts, the development of shared situation awareness, and decision-making procedures of the cybersecurity community during cyber events; and,
– Raise awareness of other cyber exercise initiatives.​

23.09.2020 - 04:30 [ Nigerian Army Resource Centre / Twitter ]

Happening now at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre is CYBER drill by Organization Of Islamic Conference and Computer Emergency Response Team ( OIC CERT) . The Drill is aimed at intimating the ICT Department of the Center on the need to be Cyber security conscious.

23.09.2020 - 04:30 [ Oman News Center / Youtube ]

The Sultanate hosts the 8th Arab Regional & OIC-CERT Cyber Drill

The Sultanate hosts the 8th Arab Regional & OIC-CERT Cyber Drill
Report: Saleh bin Khalfan Al RahbiThe Sultanate hosts the 8th Arab Regional & OIC-CERT Cyber Drill
´

23.09.2020 - 04:16 [ mcit.gov.eg ]

Egypt Partakes in ITU 2020 Global CyberDrill- Arab Regional Dialogue

Egypt, represented by the Egyptian Computer Emergency Response Team (EG-CERT), is participating in the “CyberDrill 2020 – Arab Region Regional Dialogue: CIRTs and lessons learned from COVID-19 crisis,” organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), online, on September 22.

The Global CyberDrill is a capacity building event which aims to enhance the communication and incident response capabilities of participating teams and promote collective efforts by national Computer Incident Response Teams (CIRTs) and Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs).

23.09.2020 - 03:40 [ Spiked ]

We need to take back control from the government

Covid authoritarianism is out of control. It’s time the people pushed back.

23.09.2020 - 03:31 [ theSun.co.uk ]

Army could be used to help police enforce coronavirus laws, warns Boris Johnson

Today’s fresh plan includes:

– A 10pm curfew for all pubs across England – and they will be made to offer table service by law.
– There will be a significant cap on the number of guests allowed at weddings.
– But businesses and schools will be able to stay open as No10 attempts to stave off a second lockdown.
– A dramatic increase in enforcement measures to make sure people are obeying the Rule of Six.
– More fines could be slapped on those flouting the rules with on-the-spot closures for venues that fail to follow the rules.
– Facemasks will be made compulsory for staff in hospitality and close contact places – and taxis too

……….

20.09.2020 - 21:04 [ BBC ]

Covid-19: Hundreds protest against localised Madrid lockdowns

The curbs on movement and gatherings start on Monday and affect 850,000 people, many in areas of lower income and with higher immigrant populations.

20.09.2020 - 17:43 [ Prof Michel Chossudovsky / Global Research ]

What is Covid-19, SARS-2. How is it Tested? How is It Measured? The Fear Campaign Has No Scientific Basis

The data and concepts have been manipulated with a view to sustaining the fear campaign.

The estimates are meaningless. The figures have been hyped to justify the lockdown and the closure of the national economy, with devastating economic and social consequences. The Virus is held responsible for poverty and mass unemployment.

Confirmed by prominent scientists as well as by official public health bodies including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Covid-19 is a public health concern but it is NOT a dangerous virus.

The COVID-19 crisis is marked by a public health “emergency” under WHO auspices which is being used as a pretext and a justification to trigger a Worldwide process of economic, social and political restructuring. Social engineering is being applied. Governments are pressured into extending the lockdown, despite its devastating economic and social consequences.

There is no scientific basis for implementing the closing down of the global economy as a means to resolving a public health crisis.

Both the media and the governments are involved in spreading disinformation.

14.09.2020 - 19:05 [ The Hill ]

At least 115 people injured from ‚less-lethal‘ police projectiles at protests this summer: report

Police have given more than 100 people head injuries with so-called less-lethal ammunition such as rubber bullets at protests this summer, according to a report published by the group Physicians for Human Rights (PHR).

14.09.2020 - 17:04 [ Electronic Frontier Foundation ]

Technology Can’t Predict Crime, It Can Only Weaponize Proximity to Policing

There is a reason why the use of predictive policing continues to expand despite its dubious foundations: it makes money. Many companies have developed tools for data-driven policing; some of the biggest are PredPol, HunchLab, CivicScape, and Palantir. Academic institutions have also developed predictive policing technologies, such as Rutgers University’s RTM Diagnostics or Carnegie Mellon University’s CrimeScan, which is used in Pittsburgh. Some departments have built such tools with private companies and academic institutions. For example, in 2010, the Memphis Police Department built its own tool, in partnership with the University of Memphis Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, using IBM SPSS predictive analytics.

26.08.2020 - 11:42 [ teleSUR ]

Colombia: Organizations Denounce Another Social Leader Killed

CIJP also stressed that the paramilitary group Autodefensas Gaitanista de Colombia (AGC), also known as Clan del Golfo, controls el Choco department in complicity with the army and local police forces.

19.08.2020 - 09:20 [ GIZMODO ]

Secret Service Paid to Get Americans‘ Location Data Without a Warrant, Documents Show

Babel Street is a shadowy organization that offers a product called Locate X that is reportedly used to gather anonymized location data from a host of popular apps that users have unwittingly installed on their phones. When we say “unwittingly,” we mean that not everyone is aware that random innocuous apps are often bundling and anonymizing their data to be sold off to the highest bidder.

12.08.2020 - 04:34 [ The Australian Financial Review ]

Politicians given reprieve from ‚idiotic‘ border restrictions

Federal politicians were allowed to cross the NSW-Victoria border on their way to Canberra, while at least 100 Canberrans remained stranded in a double-standard labelled „idiotic“.

22.07.2020 - 04:59 [ Hurriyet Daily News. ]

AKP, MHP submit bill to regulate social media platforms

Turkey’s government will restrict 90 percent of traffic to social network platforms that receive more than 1 million visits per day if the companies do not establish a legal presence in Turkey, according to a draft bill submitted to parliament by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

21.07.2020 - 21:23 [ Haaretz ]

Knesset Approves ‚Restrained‘ Bill on Digital Tracking in Coronavirus Fight

The Shin Bet would now be allowed to track people for the coming three weeks, beginning Tuesday. The law will remain in effect until January 2021.

The law also requires the Health Ministry to respond within 24 hours to appeals by people sent into quarantine based on the Shin Bet’s data, following public criticism of its accuracy.

21.07.2020 - 21:13 [ Times of Israel ]

As infections rise, Knesset panel again overrules ministers, reopens restaurants

The pressure led Netanyahu to backtrack at the last moment and push off the planned closure from Friday to Tuesday morning.

21.07.2020 - 20:35 [ The Hill ]

Chicago mayor urges Trump not to send federal officers amid violence

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) urged President Trump on Monday against sending federal law enforcement officials to her city, arguing it would create a “disaster” rather than help keep the city safe.

14.07.2020 - 21:22 [ Times of Israel ]

Over 12,000 mistakenly quarantined by phone tracking, Health Ministry admits

Thousands of Israelis were mistakenly forced into quarantine by a contact tracing program that gives the Shin Bet security agency access to the phones of confirmed coronavirus carriers, a Knesset committee heard Tuesday.

In the first week of the renewal of the Shin Bet tracing system last month, tens of thousands of people in Israel received text messages warning them that they had been in contact with a confirmed carrier of the coronavirus.

10.07.2020 - 01:13 [ Keep Talking Greece ]

Police fires tear-gas at protesters against bill to curtail public gatherings rights

With 187 votes, Greek MPs put the nails on the coffin of Democracy in the country.

PS How many protesters were injured by police and suffered from tear-gas, we will probably never learn.

09.07.2020 - 19:13 [ Raul Diego / Mint Press ]

Fourth Reich? Mass-Tracking COVI-PASS Immunity Passports Slated to Roll Out in 15 Countries

COVI-PASS will determine whether you can go to a restaurant, if you need a medical test, or are due for a talking-to by authorities in a post-COVID world. Consent is voluntary, but enforcement will be compulsory.

02.07.2020 - 17:22 [ Techdirt ]

Brazil’s Proposed ‚Fake News‘ Law Says Internet Users Are Guilty Until Proven Innocent, Demands Constant Logging From ISPs

Brazilians will pretty much need a license to communicate with others — something achieved by turning platforms and app makers into bouncers at the internet nightclub.

02.07.2020 - 16:41 [ DailyMail..co.uk ]

Is there a secret Covid tracker on your phone? Android and iPhone users say new feature has suddenly appeared on their handsets – without anyone installing it

Proponents are hailing the arrival of the system as a step towards stamping out the virus and ending lockdown.

The function is automatically disabled in countries without contact-tracing apps, such as Britain and the US.

02.07.2020 - 16:23 [ BBC ]

Coronavirus: Could ‚immunity passports‘ create an antibody elite?

Getting to that „new normal“ as quickly as possible is the target for governments around the globe, Many find antibody-testing the entire population a tantalising idea where infection rates are high.

In Germany, the country’s disease control and prevention agency, the Robert Koch Institute, is conducting large-scale random antibody testing.

02.07.2020 - 12:05 [ Liz Cheney ]

Dick Cheney says WEAR A MASK. #realmenwearmasks

02.07.2020 - 11:55 [ New York Times ]

Amid Virus Surge, Republicans Abruptly Urge Masks Despite Trump’s Resistance

Masks became a political cause for some in the early months of the pandemic. A growing set of Republican leaders are suddenly pushing Americans to wear them.

25.06.2020 - 10:00 [ Independent.co.uk ]

Boris Johnson confronted over claim no country has working coronavirus app – after 12m downloads in Germany

Speaking afterwards, a Labour spokesman said: “If you want other examples, Singapore has launched an app, South Korea has also got an app. So there are a number of countries that are far, far ahead of us.”

25.06.2020 - 08:45 [ Haaretz ]

Knesset Gives Initial Approval for Comprehensive Digital Tracking by Security Service in Coronavirus Fight

Ministers Gabi Ashkenazi, Avi Nissenkorn, Amir Peretz and Izhar Shay opposed resuming the tracking, which was stopped on the order of the High Court of Justice, before the process of finding a civilian alternative is exhausted. Ashkenazi said he didn’t think the current level of new cases justified the resumption of this surveillance. Shin Bet head Nadav Argaman warned that codifying the surveillance in law could expose his organization’s technology and work methods. Netanyahu said in response that “the enemy is already familiar” with the system in question.

19.06.2020 - 10:59 [ ReclaimTheNet.org ]

China creates new online censorship law to target literature

Additionally, the publishing platforms must apply new measures, including the control of user comments and the manipulation of the literary works’ popularity rankings depending on whether they adapt to the parameters established by the government, placing an extra workload on these sites.

19.06.2020 - 10:09 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Facebook monitors the offline behaviour of users to determine if they should be categorised as a ‚Hate Agent‘ and banned

(14.06.2020)

The company also confirmed that their robust decision-making process involves checking their users‘ activity on other social media sites.

12.06.2020 - 15:38 [ Glenn Greenwald / Twitter ]

In retrospect, is it fair to say this police state mindset was excessive?

19.05.2020 - 19:16 [ Medium.com ]

Open Letter, May 18, 2020, London: Dear Matt Hancock, we are civil society organisations, privacy advocates and academic researchers writing to express concerns about the NHS’s plans to build a COVID-19 datastore.

We share the common goal of preserving public confidence in systems that can help make us all safer. Therefore, before the NHS continues its plans, we urge you to provide the public with more information and take appropriate measures to reduce risk of data sharing and keep the aggregated data under democratic control.

In March, the NHS announced a new plan to build a datastore that aggregates COVID-19 health data. Microsoft, Google, Palantir, Faculty and Amazon will assist in the development of the datastore and the processing of the data.

19.05.2020 - 19:10 [ Computerweekly.com ]

Privacy advocates demand clarity over Covid-19 datastore

(yesterday)

In an open letter directly addressed to the health secretary, civil society organisations, privacy advocates and academic researchers urged Hancock to give the public more information about the datastore and take appropriate measures to reduce data-sharing risks and keep it under democratic control.

19.05.2020 - 18:45 [ OpenDemocracy.net ]

DemocracyWatch: COVID-19 ushers in a new era of surveillance apps

Last week, Palantir got the US government contract to run a new system for tracking the spread of COVID-19.

It’s not just the US that is boosting surveillance in the pandemic. In tiny Liechtenstein, the government has launched biometric tracker bracelets that automatically collect key medical information. The statelet plans for all citizens to wear them by autumn, while Germany, Turkey and France are also among the 23 countries that have looked at high-tech surveillance measures in response to the crisis.

19.05.2020 - 18:39 [ theVerge.com ]

Peter Thiel’s controversial Palantir is helping build a coronavirus tracking tool for the Trump admin

(21.04.2020)

It is unclear what exactly this data is, where it comes from, or how it’s being used. It’s also unclear if Palantir is the sole technology provider of the tool, or if other partners are involved.

Reports earlier this month first surfaced Palantir’s involvement with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the UK’s National Health Service regarding coronavirus tracking software and other assistance in combating the global pandemic.

17.05.2020 - 17:15 [ USA Today ]

’50 states and 50 different approaches:‘ States scramble to hire COVID-19 contact tracers

Massachusetts has added more than 1,000 workers and sent some into communities with large numbers of cases. California last week began training the first recruits of a planned 20,000-person contact tracing team. And New York plans to add as many as 17,000 contact tracers through a partnership with former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Resolve to Save Lives, headed by former CDC Director Tom Frieden.

17.05.2020 - 17:00 [ S.C. / Twitter ]

UK – We now have an army of snitches – Michael Gove reveals 17,000 coronavirus contact tracers recruited …

17.05.2020 - 16:42 [ PoliticsHome.com ]

Michael Gove heaps praise on under-fire Matt Hancock and reveals 17,000 coronavirus contact tracers now recruited

A senior government source told the Mail on Sunday last week that Mr Hancock was on “borrowed time” and had “fallen out with the most powerful figures in the Government”, including Mr Johnson.

But Mr Gove, who revealed that “just over 17,000 of the contact tracers” had now been recruited – told Sky News’ Niall Paterson: “Here I have to praise the work of the Health Secretary Matt Hancock.”

14.05.2020 - 17:24 [ Daily Mail ]

China brands Britain’s handling of coronavirus as a ‚mess‘ as it blasts Boris Johnson for urging people to get back to work

Beijing’s state-controlled Global Times claimed that Britain would need a ‚miracle‘ to get out of the health crisis as it condemned London’s response to COVID-19 as ‚flippant‘ and ‚ill-prepared‘.

The Communist newspaper slammed Boris Johnson for telling people to go back to work before setting up a track-and-tracing system. It accused the Prime Minister of prioritising the economy over virus control.

10.05.2020 - 19:33 [ Daily Mail ]

Minister admits Government could start a new contract tracing app as only 52% of Brits say they would download it when it needs 60% of the population to be effective

He said officials were ‚paying attention‘ to how other countries were using technology to keep on top of the crisis.

Other nations have adopted an app model which stores data in a more favourable way, which has fuelled a backlash over privacy concerns.

The ‚centralised‘ model used by the NHS is believed to have caused reluctance to download the app – which ministers have previously denied is a problem.

06.05.2020 - 18:03 [ InvestmentWatchblog.com ]

France Calls for ‘Health Passports” As Germany Rolls Out ‘Immunity Cards’

(02.05.2020)

The mayor of Nice has urged French PM Edouard Philippe to introduce new travel controls during the Covid-19 pandemic through “health passports” in the parts of France which border other countries.

30.04.2020 - 17:27 [ ScientificAmerican.com ]

Will Americans Be Willing to Install COVID-19 Tracking Apps?

Citing an infringement of constitutional rights and freedoms, leaders in the United States have so far been hesitant to adopt such technological approaches, but that may be about to change.

30.04.2020 - 17:20 [ Haaretz ]

Israelis Visiting Malls, Markets Will Have to Download Mandatory Coronavirus Tracking App

(29.04.2020)

Shopping malls and markets across Israel, shut due to the coronavirus outbreak, will only be allowed to reopen after the development of a tracking system that would monitor all visitors, Health Ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman Tov said at a Monday meeting.

All customers will be required to install a tracking app on their phone to enter shopping malls and markets, once these reopen.

30.04.2020 - 17:17 [ Indianexpress.com ]

1.5 million Israelis using voluntary coronavirus monitoring app

(01.04.2020)

Around 1.5 million Israelis have downloaded a mobile app in the past week that alerts users who have crossed paths with a coronavirus patient, according to the Health Ministry, helping to improve tracking of the pandemic.T he app “HaMagen” – Hebrew for The Shield – is sparking interest from abroad with approaches from Germany, Italy, Britain, Australia and Chile so far, ministry deputy director general Morris Dorfman said Wednesday.

30.04.2020 - 17:13 [ Time ]

Italy Says App Tracing Contacts of People Infected With COVID-19 Will Be Anonymous

Premier Giuseppe Conte’s Cabinet, at a meeting that ended early Thursday, approved a law, in the form of the decree, that guarantees that those who decide not to use the app won’t suffer limits on their movement or other rights.

30.04.2020 - 04:31 [ Haaretz ]

Israelis Visiting Malls, Markets Will Have to Download Mandatory Coronavirus Tracking App

Moreover, app development responsibilities will be placed on mall managers, but it is uncertain who will oversee them.

28.04.2020 - 15:56 [ The Hill ]

Feehery: Fear itself is more dangerous than COVID-19

Sure, let’s take some precautions, like washing your hands.

But let’s put this in perspective. And let’s stop scaring our fellow citizens. Fear itself is far more dangerous and far more debilitating than COVID-19

27.04.2020 - 11:23 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Government Is Invading Our Privacy Under the Guise of Battling Coronavirus

Two weeks ago, the council had already discussed the possibility of a popular revolt and how the government could prevent an uprising against the authorities. Among other things, it considered how the state “could forestall dangers that could lead to widespread social unrest” that might spark protests against the government and state institutions.

It turns out that soldiers and officers from one of Military Intelligence’s classified intelligence gathering units gathered data and analyzed it for the task force that the National Security Council appointed for this purpose.

27.04.2020 - 00:18 [ i24NEWS ]

Israel: Supreme Court freezes coronavirus surveillance program

Israel Supreme Court on Sunday unanimously approved a petition by a rights group to suspend a controversial surveillance program aimed at tracking the movements of citizens suspected of carrying the coronavirus.

Concerns over civil liberties and privacy rights have been raised after caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the course of action last month in an effort to track down coronavirus carriers.

14.04.2020 - 00:16 [ Ynet ]

Israel’s leaders have betrayed the public trust

On one hand, the prime minister says we are in the midst of a crisis not seen since the Dark Ages and on the other he abuses the crisis to try to escape his day in court.
How do our leaders expect us to cooperate during one of the worst crises Israel has ever known when our confidence in them is crumbling?

11.04.2020 - 21:45 [ John Pilger and T.J. Coles / Information Clearing House ]

Freedom From Fear

In 2012, a landmark study on the “disease of isolation” was published in Britain and the US. Researchers from University College, London, revealed that isolation was killing the elderly — not loneliness, but isolation forced on people by circumstances beyond their control. More than “pre-existing” health conditions, isolation was the silent killer.

08.04.2020 - 20:14 [ israelnationalnews.com ]

High Court upholds lockdown of Bnei Brak as legal

„It is not our place to interfere with the government’s decision,“ the Court concluded.

08.04.2020 - 15:58 [ Haaretz ]

Passover Curfew Begins as Israel Coronavirus Cases Top 9,400

(today)

The Health Ministry sent a letter on Wednesday to hospitals, calling on them to reduce their use of anesthesia, due to a global shortage of anesthetics coupled with the use of many anesthetics to treat coronavirus patients. (…)

1:35 P.M. Bnei Brak hospital says it cannot accept more patients requiring ventilators

The Ma’ayanei HaYeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak says it can no longer accept patients who require ventilators because of a shortage in monitoring devices required to operate them.

08.04.2020 - 15:54 [ thejc.com ]

Israel seals off Charedi-majority Bnei Brak entirely to contain virus outbreak

(03.04.2020)

Micky Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, told Reuters: “Bnei Brak is on lockdown, as of this morning, and police will prevent any movements in or out of the city.

“People are only allowed in or out for medical reasons or medical support.”

06.04.2020 - 10:59 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel: Dozens of ultra-Orthodox communities expected to go into full lockdown soon

The Israeli government is expected to declare full lockdowns of numerous ultra-Orthodox communities across the country and West Bank to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus.

A Knesset (Israeli Parliament) ministerial committee was formed late on Sunday to oversee the decision that is expected to affect at least eight cities that and more than a dozen neighborhoods.

06.04.2020 - 10:30 [ Haaretz ]

‘There Will Be a Revolt’: Life Under Lockdown in Israel’s Haredi Coronavirus Hot Spot

“Since yesterday I’m trying to find someone to help get Passover food to four elderly couples that I’ve been taking care of for three weeks, and there’s no one to turn to,” said a city resident. “I tried everyone I know, and I know a lot of people. There’s no response from the municipality, all those getting paid by the city don’t want to deal with me. The police send me to the municipality, and from there they send me to the Home Front Command, which sends me back to the municipality.”

04.04.2020 - 11:58 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel: Military deployed to ultra-Orthodox suburb to help enforce coronavirus lockdown

Earlier on Friday the government declared Bnei Brak, home to around 200,000 people, a „restricted zone“ after invoking emergency powers to quell the outbreak, which has spread quickly throughout the community.

The military is expected to deploy about 1,000 soldiers in Bnei Brak to assist local authorities due to the severity of the situation there and the reported lack of implementation of health ministry instructions.

01.04.2020 - 14:35 [ Xinhua ]

Xi calls for making major cities „smarter“

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said major cities can become „smarter“ by using big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies to modernize urban governance.

24.03.2020 - 09:52 [ Axios.com ]

Location data likely to play limited role in fighting coronavirus

As COVID-19 worsens, though, expect to see a greater willingness to trade privacy for effective health surveillance, just as 9/11 led to a tightening of security around airports and other public spaces.

„A situation like the pandemic creates a fundamental shift in how people react to technology. This is the direction we are going to be moving in.“

— Labhesh Patel, chief technology officer at Jumio, an ID verification company

The bottom line: We’ve already given up so much in the fight against COVID-19. Some elements of personal privacy may be the next to go — and don’t expect the surveillance to end when the pandemic does.

24.03.2020 - 09:44 [ Forbes ]

Coronavirus, Surveillance And The Redefinition Of The Social Contract

We should listen to somebody who grew up in a society where there were no civil rights, Angela Merkel, talk about how the current situation justifies restricting our movements. And matters will not stop there: people might have been shocked when they saw China use apps and geolocation to control the movements of its population during the spread of the infection, but we now see Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan following suit: their success is being used to justify population control measures that would be completely unacceptable under normal circumstances.

23.03.2020 - 07:52 [ CNN ]

In the battle against coronavirus, personal privacy is at risk

When Declan Chan arrived in Hong Kong from Zurich on March 17 after six weeks overseas, city officials made him put on a plain-looking white wristband and download an app called StayHomeSafe before he exited the airport.
He was told to register on the app once he got home, which would start a 14-day countdown, and walk to all four corners of his apartment so it could capture the location and confines of his home.

21.03.2020 - 08:06 [ i24news.tv ]

Bennett: Isolating the elderly as nation develops herd immunity is key to defeating virus

The key to defeating the global pandemic of coronavirus is isolating the elderly population in the hope that young people who are not in the risk group for complications would develop herd immunity, Israel’s caretaker Defense Minister said Friday in a recorded statement.

06.03.2020 - 15:11 [ precisionvaccinations.com ]

COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Development Based on the VaxHit Bioinformatics Platform

(18.02.2020)

Israel based Vaxil Bio Ltd. announced an update to the Company’s press release dated February 13, 2020, regarding the possible identification of a novel coronavirus vaccine candidate, Vaccine Candidate.

Vaxil said in a newly published press release on February 18, 2020, the Vaccine Candidate is based on unique and patent-protected signal peptide technology, utilizing Vaxil’s proprietary VaxHit™ bioinformatics platform.

26.02.2020 - 21:31 [ BBC ]

Blair to tackle ‚menace‘ children

(31. August 2006)

And one think tank suggested it was almost „genetic determinism“ to suggest children could turn out to be troublemakers before they were born.

Mr Blair told BBC News his government had made „massive progress“ in tackling social exclusion but there was a group of people with multiple problems.

There had to be intervention „pre-birth even“, he said.

Families with drug and alcohol problems were being identified too late, said Mr Blair.