London prepares for Tier 2 as MPs to vote on new Covid curbs

Covid

Covid


London is preparing to go into Tier 2 as England’s second national lockdown comes to an end after four weeks. 

London Restaurants and many pubs and bars will be able to reopen in the capital from tomorrow, but mixing indoors with people from other households remains banned.

MPs are set to vote on the new toughened system of tiered coronavirus controls today, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson braced for a damaging Tory rebellion. 

Sir Keir Starmer has said Labour will abstain amid “serious misgivings”, but the Government is still expected to win the vote, with curbs coming into force at midnight.  

UN says pandemic to fan surge in humanitarian needs in 2021

The UN humanitarian office says needs for assistance have ballooned to unprecedented levels this year because of Covid-19, projecting that a staggering 235 million people will require help in 2021.

This comes as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and global challenges including conflicts, forced migration and the impact of global warming.

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The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expects a 40 per cent increase in the number of people in need of such assistance in 2021 compared to this year.

OCHA head Mark Lowcock said: “The picture we’re painting this year is the bleakest and darkest perspective on humanitarian needs we’ve ever set out, and that’s because the pandemic has reaped carnage across the most fragile and vulnerable countries on the planet.

“For the first time since the 1990s, extreme poverty is going to increase, life expectancy will fall, the annual death toll from HIV, tuberculosis and malaria is set to double.

“We fear a near doubling in the number of people facing starvation.”

Source – https://www.standard.co.uk/