"London to move into tier 3 as infections rise"

 

London will move into England’s highest tier of Covid restrictions from 00:01 GMT on Wednesday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.

 

Parts of Essex and parts of Hertfordshire will also enter tier three at the same time.

 

A new variant of coronavirus has been identified that "may be associated" with the faster spread in southern England, Mr Hancock added.

 

Pubs and restaurants in tier three must close except for takeaway and delivery.

 

Also under the rules, sports fans cannot attend events in stadiums, and indoor entertainment venues - such as theatres, bowling alleys and cinemas - must remain shut.

 

More than 34 million people in England will be in tier three when the changes come into effect; 21.5 million in tier two; and about 700,000 in tier one.

 

 

• You cannot mix indoors, in private gardens or in most outdoor venues, except with your household or bubble
• You can meet in a group of up to six in other outdoor spaces, such as parks, beaches or countryside
• Shops, gyms and personal care services (such as hairdressing) can stay open
• Bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants must stay closed, except for delivery and takeaway
• Sports fans cannot attend events in stadiums
• Indoor entertainment venues - such as bowling alleys and cinemas - must stay closed
• People are advised not to travel to and from tier three areas

So not as locked as NZ Level 4 it seems.

Or even level 3 - All retail remain open, but numbers limited inside.

Seems a level 2.5 overall

This kind of people are the ones that will bring destruction and death. It seems he's more interested in profits than human life.

"'Don't call in sick for the next three weeks' jeweller Pandora tells staff"

 

In a video sent to staff, the head of The Howley Group, Joseph Howley, Pandora’s franchisor of some New Zealand and Australian stores, said because the company was going into a “very busy” time of the year, staff should not call in sick for the next three weeks.

 

“You are very important to this business. Don’t call in sick. If anyone’s calling sick, cancelling shifts, I need to know about this. You need to talk to me directly,” Howley said.

 

“Unless you have something serious you’re not supposed to do that for the next three weeks. After that you can do whatever you want, no problem.

 

I bet instead of the boss getting a notice from HR there will instead be a witch hunt to find out who leaked the video...

Howley’s Facebook page showed he had reposted videos about United States President Donald Trump with the caption: “Trump is the only president in the world who openly call upon the Lord Jesus Christ!”

Ah, that explains a lot.

contrary to popular believe, Santa Claus is not immune sadly

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/uk-charity-forced-to-apologise-after-giving-santa-claus-coronavirus/LJ3XXEOH4BU23NSBTXLAY5PXQM/

freitasm:

 

"London to move into tier 3 as infections rise"

 

Netherlands locking down for a month, including Christmas (with a small consolation of allowing 3 visitors instead of 2) to rough equivalent of NZ level 3.  Churches, mosques and other places of worship remain open.

Batman:

 

contrary to popular believe, Santa Claus is not immune sadly

 

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/uk-charity-forced-to-apologise-after-giving-santa-claus-coronavirus/LJ3XXEOH4BU23NSBTXLAY5PXQM/

 

 

 

The wailing and gnashing of teeth in response to this is wayyy overblown IMO. It’s not overt about it being Santa, doesn’t even talk about COVID, and is quite a good message IMO. 

Had to love the quoted tweet that appeared in this article for me - something about Santa dieing if you donut ‘mindlessly follow orders’. And people wonder why this pandemic rages out of control in some places. 

Press release:

 

New Zealand’s planning to manage COVID-19 over summer

 

COVID-19 response Minister Chris Hipkins has outlined extensive All of Government planning in the event of a community case of COVID-19 during the holiday period.

 

“Since March, New Zealand has strengthened and evolved its ability to respond to COVID-19,” Chris Hipkins said.

 

“Improved testing and contact tracing capacity mean that since the Auckland August cluster, we’ve had four outbreaks which we have successfully managed without having to change alert levels.

 

“At the same time, we know the virus is continuing to rage offshore and despite our best efforts, there’s always the possibility of further community cases here.

 

“The summer holiday period poses some unique challenges in responding to an outbreak. Large numbers of us will be travelling for holidays or seasonal work, there are more social gatherings and large events such as festivals – and, like other Kiwis, there will be health system workers taking well-deserved leave.

 

“Our summer planning approach to manage any community cases over the holidays supports New Zealand’s elimination strategy for COVID-19.

 

“If we find it, we’ll stamp it out, and we’ve made sure the Government’s COVID-19 team, and the national support network, are ready.

 

“Although we can’t predict exactly where or how a community case might emerge, New Zealanders can be reassured planning has been extensive, and has included scenario testing and understanding actions that might be needed, including, as a last resort, Alert Level changes.

 

“We’ll continue to respond swiftly and openly during the holiday period.  If a positive case was found in the community, we’d use the usual approach to communicating with the public – updates and advice would first be provided by me and/or the Director-General of Health or his delegate.

 

“Further Government planning has revolved around three broad scenarios and people can find out more about this work at covid19.govt.nz

 

“For each of the scenarios, extensive contingency plans are in place. We’ve learnt from previous cases and regional lockdowns and used that knowledge to refine our plans and preparations. We know what to do and the health system is standing ready. People and resources are on call. Our supply chains are stocked.

 

“Government agencies are tightly connected and have worked closely with local Government, iwi and community leaders, Civil Defence and Emergency Management and the private sector to ensure a fully coordinated response.

 

“People in remote locations where there is limited cell phone coverage would very likely be safe from exposure to COVID-19, but would need to follow public health advice upon return from those locations – this is a personal responsibility.  

 

“In a worst-case scenario, if it became clear there was a high risk of widespread transmission, you’d need to stay where you are and in your bubble until you get official advice. We don’t want people rushing home and possibly taking the virus with them.

 

“It’s important to remember that this is a worst-case scenario. After a long, hard year, we all deserve to enjoy our summer – including those who are working hard through the holidays to keep us safe. Let’s thank them by each and every one of us doing our bit to stop the spread of COVID-19.

 

“We’re also asking all New Zealanders to focus even more on those basic actions that’ll protect themselves and others, in line with the new campaign, ‘Make Summer Unstoppable’.

 

“We should all be washing or sanitising our hands; scanning QR codes; turning on Bluetooth in the NZ COVID Tracer app; staying home if we’re feeling even a little unwell, and getting advice on a test.  

 

“And if we’re going away on a break, we should be thinking about what would happen if we’re required to stay at our holiday location while waiting for official advice. That might mean a backup plan for homes or pets if we can’t get home straight away.

 

“It’ll be the continued commitment of the team of 5 million, combined with the Government’s own planning, which gives us all the best chance of enjoying a fantastic Kiwi summer after what’s been a year like no other.”

 

Press release:

 

The Government is putting in place support for affected businesses in case there is a resurgence of COVID-19.

 

“We want to provide certainty to businesses and workers about what support will be available in the event of a resurgence of COVID-19,” Grant Robertson said.

 

“This includes a new Resurgence Support Payment is being introduced to help businesses directly affected when there’s a move to Alert Level 2 or above for a week or more. This will particularly help sectors like hospitality and events, who face particular disruptions as Alert Levels change.

 

“This recognises that some businesses face one-off costs or impacts to cashflow when we step up an Alert Level to follow public health advice. The payment is structured to provide most support to smaller firms who are most likely to face cashflow issues but will be available to all businesses and sole traders.”

 

The payment would include a core per business rate of $1500 plus $400 per employee up to a total of 50 FTEs ($21,500). Firms that experience a 30% drop in revenue over a 14-day period will be eligible.

 

“We’ve also committed to the Wage Subsidy Scheme whether there’s a regional or national move to Alert Levels three and four. The Wage Subsidy Scheme has been very effective in keeping people in work so far with more than $14 billion paid out to protect 1.8 million jobs.

 

“Cabinet has also asked the Minister of Justice to revisit options on future commercial tenancy negotiation support - this will be discussed by Cabinet early next year.

 

“We’re also keeping the Leave Support Scheme and adding to it by introducing a new Short-term Absence Payment to also cover eligible workers needing to stay at home while awaiting a COVID-19 test result. This will be a one-off payment of $350 to employers to pay workers who need to stay home while awaiting a test or while someone who is their dependent is doing so, in accordance with public health advice,” Grant Robertson said.

 

Other supports retained include the loan products Business Finance Guarantee Scheme, which is being extended to June 2021 with additional availability and flexibility, and Small Business Cashflow Scheme, which has also recently been extended.

 

Fact sheet (PDF)

freitasm:

 

This kind of people are the ones that will bring destruction and death. It seems he's more interested in profits than human life.

 

"'Don't call in sick for the next three weeks' jeweller Pandora tells staff"

 

 

In a video sent to staff, the head of The Howley Group, Joseph Howley, Pandora’s franchisor of some New Zealand and Australian stores, said because the company was going into a “very busy” time of the year, staff should not call in sick for the next three weeks.

 

“You are very important to this business. Don’t call in sick. If anyone’s calling sick, cancelling shifts, I need to know about this. You need to talk to me directly,” Howley said.

 

“Unless you have something serious you’re not supposed to do that for the next three weeks. After that you can do whatever you want, no problem.

 

 

I bet instead of the boss getting a notice from HR there will instead be a witch hunt to find out who leaked the video...

 

If he's the owner then what purpose would a notice from HR serve? 

A process to start change. We think it would be ignored but not doing it is being complicit.

What would the HR person have to gain by doing that? It's not their job to serve notices on a company owner, it's their job to implement the companies strategy. They can advise the management but in a small company HR isn't an independent organisation, it's likely 25% of one person or a contractor.