Coronavirus LIVE: Royal Mail to make 2,000 job losses in wake of Covid-19 crisis and Sheffield businesses prepare to reopen

Shadow health minister Justin Madders said the latest Test and Trace figures raise “major concerns”.

He said: “To have a quarter of those who test positive not contacted three weeks into the ‘world-beating’ system is not good enough and urgently needs to be addressed.

“Expert opinion shows that to defeat this virus we need a fully functioning test and trace system, so these latest figures still raise major concerns the week before lockdown measures are eased further, especially without a working app.

“It is staggering that hundreds of people are not submitting their details into the system in the first place. Surely that should be one simple thing that can be fixed.

“Ministers need to level with the public about how they are going to tackle these real and serious issues as a matter of urgency.”

A total of 20,968 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England had their case transferred to the NHS Test and Trace contact tracing system during the first three weeks of its operation, according to figures from the Department of Health & Social Care.

Of this total, 15,225 people (73 per cent) were reached and asked to provide details of recent contacts. 

The figures cover the period May 28 to June 17.

The Test and Trace figures also show that 24 per cent of people (5,062) who tested positive for Covid-19 during the three-week period and who had been transferred to the tracing system were not reached.

This number includes people who the service was unable to reach because there had been no response to text, email and call reminders. It also includes people who were reached but declined to give details of close contacts.

A further 3 per cent of people (681) could not be reached because their communication details had not been provided.

During the first three weeks of Test and Trace, 113,925 people who had been identified as recent close contacts of people who had tested positive for Covid-19 were reached through the tracing system.

This was 89 per cent out of a total of 128,566 identified contacts. 

The remaining 14,641 (11 per cent) were identified as close contacts, but were not reached.

Some of these people could not be reached because no communication details had been provided for them.

Walk-in centres for Covid-19 testing are to be set up to make it easier for people without cars to get tested for the virus.

Six centres are being trialled in Newcastle, Rochdale, Leeds, Brent, Newham and Slough, with the latter described as a hybrid drive and walk through.

The exact location of the centres has not been confirmed by officials but one is understood to be on a basketball court, and there have been reports they will spring up in empty shops and car parks.

A source at the Department of Health and Social Care said officials were working on “walk through testing sites in England for people without cars”.

The source said that previously the push was to have testing sites out of the way so there were not “huge” numbers of potentially infected people travelling into the centre of towns.

But they added that now incidence is lower, they can look at ways to safely provide testing “in the heart of communities”, in a way that is more easy and accessible to people.

Downing Street said “the right guidance and advice” would ensure the safety of walk-in coronavirus testing centres.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We have already been setting up mobile testing units to serve communities where needed.

“We want to ensure testing is available in places that are accessible and work for the public across the country.”

He added that “walk-in sites is clearly something that we are looking at”.

Ministers have revealed their plans for an al fresco revolution to encourage open air shopping and drinking throughout the summer to control coronavirus.

Outside seating and takeaway pints will become the norm under proposals laid out in the Business and Planning Bill, which has been dubbed the Covid Bill by officials.

Publicans and restaurant owners will be allowed to turn car parks into seating areas, with the “immediate” changes allowing the hospitality industry to exploit the hot weather being enjoyed across England and Wales in a bid to bounce back from the coronavirus downturn.

As part of the plans unveiled on Thursday, licensed premises will be able to serve booze for punters to take away and consume elsewhere in efforts to stop drinkers crowding indoors.

Meanwhile, outdoor markets, summer fairs and car boot sales will no longer need planning permission, meaning their hours can be extended without prior approval.

Scientists have found that Covid-19 does not spread as easily in an outside environment compared to when indoors, meaning an outdoor lifestyle could help keep the infection rate under control when lockdown measures are significantly eased on July 4.

The Prime Minister has given the go-ahead for pubs, restaurants and hotels to reopen as of next month – albeit with social distancing restrictions in place – while non-essential retail is already free to resume selling.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “Our pubs, restaurants and cafes are the lifeblood of high streets and town centres across the country and we are doing all we can to ensure they can bounce back as quickly and safely as possible.

“This week we gave our vital hospitality sector the green light to reopen from July 4, and today we are introducing new legislation to enable businesses to make the most of the crucial summer months ahead.”

Changes for the hospitality industry in the Covid Bill include reducing the consultation period for applications for pavement licences from 28 calendar days to five working days, with automatic consent granted if there is no council decision after 10 working days.

Around 2,000 management jobs at being axed at Royal Mail as it looks to slash costs in the face of the coronavirus crisis.

The group said the job cuts come as part of a management overhaul under plans to save £330 million over the next two years.

The cull will affect some of its 9,700 managers, with senior executive and non-operational roles hardest hit.

Royal Mail is one of a raft of companies in the UK to announce hefty job losses due to the pandemic, including British Gas owner Centrica and airlines easyJet and British Airways.

Trade union Unite said the job losses are a ’devastating blow’ for Royal Mail staff.

Keith Williams, interim executive chairman at Royal Mail Group, said the company is taking “immediate action” on costs to offset the Covid-19 impact.

“In recent years, our UK business has not adapted quickly enough to the changes in our marketplace of more parcels and fewer letters,” he said.

“Covid-19 has accelerated those trends, presenting additional challenges.”

On the job cuts, he said: “We are committed to conducting the upcoming consultation process carefully and sensitively.

“We will work closely with our managers and their representatives during this difficult period.”

A Sheffield woman who has been shielding for the last three months was shocked to receive ‘threatening’ letter from the council warning legal action if her gas appliances are not checked.

Sharron Robinson, from Darnall, is registered disabled and has been shielding from the public since March because she suffers from multiple health conditions.

The shielding 58-year-old has an underactive thyroid, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ME, fibromyalgia and bipolar disorder.

Sharron, who hasn’t seen her children and grandchildren for months due to the coronavirus, said she was concerned when she opened the letter from Sheffield City Council warning she could face legal action if she did not allow engineers to carry out a gas inspection at her property.

The letter from the council’s Repairs and Maintenance Service said that unless the recipient contacts the office “within 7 days of the date of this letter, this matter will be referred to out solicitors for legal proceedings” and could be liable for up to £500 of legal costs.

Sheffield City Council have since apologised for the letter which they say Sharron received “in error” and agreed to put her visit on hold until it is safe for shielding people to have visits inside their home.

“Getting something like this with a mental health condition, I’m lucky”, she said.

“I’ve done everything they’ve asked me to, I haven’t been out, the freedom of choice has been taken away from me and then you get this and it’s like, the biggest slap in the face.

“If I was somebody that was less away then it could result in legal action and it just feels like I’m being threatened.”

A spokesperson said: “We won’t be ready to open on the 4th. I wish that this wasn’t the case but the fact is, we need to be extremely careful with how we operate, and no venue should feel the need to rush this.

“No pub is designed with a pandemic in mind but the shape of ours is particularly awkward for social distancing.”

Around 10,000 care home residents and staff will be repeatedly tested for coronavirus in a study to help the Government understand more about patterns of outbreaks over time.

The repeat testing will give a “detailed picture” of infections in more than 100 care homes in England and allow them to react quickly to outbreaks, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.

The research will be carried out by the DHSC, University College London and the NHS data foundry in 106 facilities run by Four Seasons Care Homes.

Four Seasons Care Homes have two facilities in South Yorkshire, namely Balmoral Care Home in Beighton Road, Woodhouse and Layden Court Care Home in All Hallows Drive in Maltby, Rotherham. 

The care homes where the research will take place have not yet been named. 

The research will aim to provide a comprehensive picture of how outbreaks play out over time within the same home.

Swab and antibody tests will be used over the next 12-18 months to track who has the virus, past exposure and infection, providing “reassurance” to residents and staff.

Consenting participants will have three rounds of blood tests and three rounds of swab tests over a period of three to four months.

Residents who have antibodies at three months will be tested at six months and a year to see how long these stay in the body.

The first blood samples for the antibody tests were taken on June 11 and will help inform strategy as lockdown and social distancing measures are eased, the DHSC said.

Results from the first participants are expected to be available in July.

The restaurant has announced it will reopen on July 10, and says they have taken ’every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of our customers and staff’. 

Based on Arundel Street in Sheffield city centre, Silversmiths says it aims to ’produce the finest modern British cuisine with a strong Yorkshire influence and a hint of fine dining in a relaxed environment for all to enjoy’. 

“We’re so pleased to announce we will be opening our doors once again! In order to ensure everything is completely ready for reopening, we have decided our opening weekend will be from Friday 10th July,” a Silversmiths spokesperson said in a mailout to customers. 

They added: “Rest assured we have taken every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of our customers and staff. Although the restaurant may look slightly different, our famous Silversmiths service and food will be exactly the same!”

Air bridges will be available from next week to allow Britons to take holidays in other countries without quarantining for 14 days, it has been reported.

The Government will finalise agreements in coming days to allow people to travel from the UK to a small number of countries including Spain, France and Greece, according to reporting by The Times, The Sun and The Daily Telegraph.

The news follows Transport Secretary Grant Shapps indicating air bridges would only be agreed with countries which have a coronavirus test and trace system at the same standard as that used in Britain.

Mr Shapps told the Commons Transport Select Committee there would be an announcement about air bridges on Monday, but the Telegraph reported the unveiling would take place at the weekend.

Asked what “key considerations” formed the negotiations, Mr Shapps said the ability of a country to alert people if they have been in contact with a person who has coronavirus is one of the factors.

Outlining the questions being asked by UK officials, he said: “Do they have something equivalent to our NHS Test and Trace system? The Test and Trace system is enormous here now. We’ve got the capacity to test far more than is immediately required but that would allow for any uplift anywhere.

“Does the country we’re talking to have that kind of capability?”

He said another issue being considered is the level and trajectory of the disease in a destination.

Mr Shapps added that introducing air bridges is a “massive priority”, saying: “I understand entirely the pain that aviation is going through. I know both for airports, for airlines and actually for ground handlers as well, this coronavirus has been a complete disaster.”

The Brown Street pub said it is in the process of ’considering our best way forward, working with our staff to make sure when we reopen it will be in the safest possible way for everyone’. 

“We will not be reopening on July 4th for a number of reasons, but expect we will be able to give a further update next week on what our plan is.

“Thank you for your patience and support,” a spokesperson for the pub said on Facebook. 

A new death involving coronavirus has not been recorded in the city since Thursday, June 18, according to the latest available figures published yesterday. 

NHS England yesterday announced 51 more deaths of hospital patients who tested positive for Covid-19, taking the total number in England so far to 28,435.

In Sheffield the death toll remains 284, which is the same as it was last Thursday.

The last death recorded in the city was that of a 13-day-old baby at the city’s Children’s Hospital.