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Madrid, Apr 18 (AFP) Spain, one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, is to extend its nationwide lockdown until May 9, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Saturday.Restrictions on movements would be loosened slightly however to allow children time outside, from April 27, he added.Spain, which has been under lockdown since March 14, has recorded 20,043 deaths from the virus, according to the latest official figures released earlier Saturday. (AFP) PMSPMS

Spain to extend coronavirus lockdown through May 9: PM

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11911533" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="boris-johnson" source="Orion">Boris Johnson</keyword> said "it did not occur" to him that his 2020 birthday party violated UK <keyword id="91743" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lockdown" source="Orion">lockdown</keyword> rules.</li><li>Last week, the UK Prime Minister apologized for attending the celebration and paid a 50-pound fine.</li></ul>UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he didn't know at the time that attending a lockdown-breaking party in 2020 "could amount to a breach of the rules," <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/19/uk/boris-johnson-partygate-parliament-statement-intl-gbr/index.html">CNN</a> reported Tuesday.Last week, Johnson apologized and paid a 50-pound fine ($66 USD) for attending a birthday celebration in June 2020 that violated the country's <keyword id="11893994" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19" source="Orion">COVID-19</keyword> lockdown rules at the time.While addressing Parliament on Tuesday, the Prime Minister offered another apology "unreservedly," saying it was a "mistake.""It did not occur to me then, or subsequently, that a gathering in the Cabinet room just before a vital meeting on COVID strategy could amount to a breach of the rules," Johnson said, per the <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/1516449510679064590">BBC</a>.The rule-dodging scandal prompted a wave of criticism from Johnson's political opponents, who have called for the prime minister to resign. Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer called Johnson's Tuesday apology a "joke.""The public have made up their mind: they don't believe a word the prime minister says," Starmer <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/1516451071044030465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">said</a> in Parliament Tuesday. "They know what he is."Johnson's birthday party in June 2020 wasn't the only gathering that violated the country's COVID-19 lockdown at the time. In early December 2021, Downing Street staff were heard in leaked footage joking about hosting a Christmas party in December 2020.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-downing-street-staff-joked-about-christmas-party-during-covid-2021-12">The leaked video</a> obtained by ITV was shot on December 22, 2020, four days after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/dec/07/leaked-video-shows-no-10-officials-joking-about-holding-christmas-party">sources told British tabloids and news outlets</a> that a Christmas party took place at Johnson's 10 Downing Street office, which included food and drinks, party games, and a "Secret Santa" gift exchange.Johnson also faced backlash after leaked photographs captured him <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boris-johnson-hosted-gathering-broke-covid-19-rules-leaked-images-2021-12">hosting a Christmas quiz</a> during the holiday festivities in December 2020. The British prime minister initially denied that any parties had taken place and said "no COVID rules were broken."A Parliamentary committee is investigating whether Johnson misled UK lawmakers with his initial denials, but the government could block the probe because it is chaired by a Labour Party politician, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/government-may-block-committee-probing-if-johnson-misled-parliament-2022-4">Insider's Henry Dyer</a> reported.Conservative MP Mark Harper also called for Johnson to step down from office for breaking lockdown rules and not being "straightforward" about it."I regret to say that we have a Prime Minister who broke the laws that he told the country they had to follow, hasn't been straightforward about it," Harper said, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/19/uk/boris-johnson-partygate-parliament-statement-intl-gbr/index.html">CNN</a>. "I'm very sorry to have to say this, but I no longer think he is worthy of the great office that he holds."The lockdown-breaching celebrations, dubbed "<keyword id="13495783" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="partygate" source="Orion">partygate</keyword>" by critics, also led to fines against the PM's wife, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boris-johnson-rishi-sunak-fined-attending-lockdown-breaching-parties-2022-4">Carrie Johnson, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak</a>.Johnson's Justice Minister Lord David Wolfson also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/johnsons-justice-minister-quits-after-partygate-fines-for-pm-2022-4">resigned last week</a> in the wake of the fines. In his resignation letter, Wolfson said the fines point to the "inevitable conclusion that there was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/39-times-the-government-denied-partygate-allegations-broke-rules-2022-3">repeated rule-breaking</a>, and breaches of the criminal law, in Downing Street.""It is not just a question of what happened in Downing Street, or your own conduct," he added. "It is also, and perhaps more so, the official response to what took place. As we obviously do not share that view of these matters, I must ask you to accept my resignation."Representatives from Downing Street did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Boris Johnson said he didn't know his 2020 office party that violated UK lockdown measures 'could amount to a breach of the rules'

<ul><li>Rajeev Venkayya, Special Assistant to the President for Biodefense at the White House during the Bush administration who oversaw US preparedness for bioterrorism and biological threats, told it was difficult to say how much more time India would require to thwart the COVID-19 challenge.</li></ul><ul><li>On March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide <keyword id="8942847" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="lockdown-in-india">lockdown in India</keyword> to stem the spread of coronavirus in the country.</li><li>A three-week lockdown is a reasonable starting point to contain the coronavirus pandemic in a country like India, he said.</li></ul> A three-week lockdown is a reasonable starting point to contain the coronavirus pandemic in a country like India, an eminent Indian-American epidemiologist has said, cautioning that a successful fight against the deadly virus might require some more time. Rajeev Venkayya, Special Assistant to the President for Biodefense at the White House during the Bush administration who oversaw US preparedness for bioterrorism and biological threats, told it was difficult to say how much more time India would require to thwart the COVID-19 challenge. On March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown in India to stem the spread of coronavirus in the country. "From an epidemiologic standpoint, I don't know if three weeks will be enough. It may require more time," said Venkayya, who was responsible for the development and implementation of the National Strategy for Influenza pandemic during the second term of the Bush administration. He currently serves as president of the Global Vaccine Business Unit of pharmaceutical company Takeda. "We will have to look at what is happening in other countries," he said. "But if you were to ask me whether that will be enough given the size of the population, the healthcare capacity, the uniformity or lack of uniformity that is inevitable in a federated country like India where there's a lot of State autonomy on what to do and how to do it, and varying levels of compliance, I think this could easily go much longer," Venkayya said. A three-week lockdown is a reasonable starting point to contain the coronavirus pandemic in a country like India, he said. Since joining Takeda in 2012, he has established a high-impact vaccine pipeline that includes promising late-stage candidates for dengue and norovirus, gained through the acquisitions of LigoCyte and Inviragen Inc. As head of Special Assistant to the President for Biodefense at the White House, he was responsible for the America's first development and implementation of the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza in 2007. The White House published this federal guidance in 2007. "It's now called the flattening the curve strategy. At that time, we called it a targeted layered containment and then it became called community mitigation. But the first flattening the curve graph was published in our federal guidance in 2007," he said. "When I was in the white house, we were preparing for an influenza pandemic we realized that vaccines would not be available for many months after a pandemic started. And based on the 1918 experience, we expected there would be multiple waves of the pandemic and that for at least the first wave we would not have vaccines," he said. As such, the White House team led by him had to find other ways to protect communities from this pandemic virus. Based on some early modelling and additional modelling commissioned in 2006, they found the relevance of non-pharmaceutical interventions, community measures like closing schools and cancelling public gatherings, social distancing as well as isolation and quarantine for people that have been confirmed or suspected to have the virus. "If you put all of these things together, and importantly if you did them early in a coordinated fashion, you couldn't have a very big impact on the transmission of the virus in a community," he said, adding that this guidance was published in 2007. Emphasising the importance of doing these things early in the outbreak, he cautioned that else it would be much harder to prevent a large number of people from getting infected and accomplishing the goals of flattening the curve and delaying the peak of the curve. "So here I think it's very important that India took (lockdown) action now, ….. like many countries, there isn't widespread availability of diagnostic testing. And so it's hard to know how much virus is in any given community in India," he said. "We also know that the threat is greater in India than it may be in other places because of the population density. Also, there are significant portions of the population that don't have access to the healthcare services that would be necessary to take care of large numbers of sick people. So, it (social mitigation measures) becomes even more important in India than it's important everywhere," Venkayya said. Observing that none of the community interventions are perfect, he said if one puts a number of imperfect interventions together, then one can have a very significant positive impact on reducing virus transmission. Prior to Takeda, Venkayya served as director of Vaccine Delivery in the Global Health Program at the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation, where he was responsible for the Foundation's efforts in polio eradication and new vaccine introduction. While at the foundation, he served on the Board of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI). The death toll due to COVID-19 has gone up to 273 and the number of cases has climbed to 8,356 in India, according to the Health Ministry. Globally, the novel coronavirus has killed 108,862 people and infected over 1.7 million people globally. The US has the highest number of infections at 529,887, according to Johns Hopkins University data. LKJ MRJ MRJ

Three-week lockdown reasonable starting point to fight coronavirus in India: former White House official

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned against relaxing efforts to fight the <keyword id="8829783" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus-pandemic">coronavirus pandemic</keyword> amid looming hopes of a vaccine against the fast-spreading disease. "We cannot rely on the news about a vaccine as a solution" in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, Xinhua news agency quoted Johnson as saying at a virtual press briefing in <keyword id="50550" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Downing-Street">Downing Street</keyword> on Monday. "It would be a mistake to slacken our resolve in fighting the virus," the Prime Minister said. Mass testing can be a substitute to the restrictions, he said, adding that it was now more important than ever that people follow the lockdown rules. "Hands, face, space. Follow the rules -- that's how we can protect the NHS (National Health Service), save lives, and get the virus back in its box," he added. A vaccine candidate jointly developed by the German pharmaceutical company BioNTech SE and the US company Pfizer Inc. has proved to be more than 90 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19 infection in participants with no proven previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, the two companies announced on Monday. "We've cleared one significant hurdle but there are several more to go before we know the vaccine can be used," said Johnson. On November 5, England entered into a month-long national lockdown, the second of its kind since the onset of the pandemic in the country. Under the lockdown, people in England will only be allowed to leave their homes for specific reasons, such as education, work or food shopping. Pubs, bars and restaurants will close across the country except for takeaways. Non-essential shops, hairdressers and leisure and entertainment venues will also be shut. Unlike in the first lockdown, schools, colleges and universities will remain open and those who cannot work from home, such as construction or manufacturing workers, will be encouraged to continue going to their workplaces. As of Tuesday, the UK's overall coronavirus caseload and death toll stood at 1,216,747 and 49,329, respectively. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/checkout-here-bihar-assembly-election-2020-results-and-updates-online/articleshow/79142084.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Bihar Election Results 2020: Counting of votes begin, early trends indicate the Grand Alliance edging ahead of the JDU</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-will-be-probed-by-indias-competition-commission-for-allegedly-abusing-dominance-to-push-gpay/articleshow/79141895.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Google will be probed by India’s Competition Commission for allegedly ‘abusing dominance’ to push its payments app</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/pfizers-covid-19-vaccine-is-90-effective-in-preventing-coronavirus-in-those-who-havent-been-infected-ever-before/articleshow/79130097.cms">Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is 90% effective in preventing coronavirus in those who haven’t been infected ever before, shows data from latest trials</a>

UK PM Boris Johnson warns against easing efforts to fight Covid-19

<ul><li>In Bihar, India’s poorest state, all the parents reported “non-delivery of education” in government schools. </li><li>More than 40% of teachers in these five states are afraid that a quarter of students may drop out of school once they reopen. </li><li>A total of 1158 parents across private and government schools and 488 government school teachers across five states- Bihar, <keyword id="43945" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chhattisgarh">Chhattisgarh</keyword>, <keyword id="6360371" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="jharkhand">Jharkhand</keyword>, <keyword id="6357961" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="odisha">Odisha</keyword>, and Uttar Pradesh participated in the Oxfam India study. </li></ul>Schools in India were forced to shut down in March after <keyword id="2257489" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="PM-Narendra-Modi">PM Narendra Modi</keyword> announced a nationwide lockdown to fight the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> pandemic. The government had asked schools to deliver lectures online but thousands of students were left with no means to study due to lack of access to smartphones. As many as 27 crore children in India were affected. Over 80% of parents of students studying government schools in five Indian states — Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh — said the school did not deliver any online lessons during COVID-19 lockdown, according to a survey conducted by NGO Oxfam India. In Bihar, India’s poorest state, all the parents reported “non-delivery of education” in government schools. The report states that most of the children were deprived of online education due to a lack of <keyword id="408193" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-devices">digital devices</keyword>. A total of 1158 parents across private and government schools and 488 government school teachers across five states- Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh participated in the study, which was conducted between May to June 2020. In India, only 15% of rural households have access to digital tech. Over 85% of the households in rural India — that has a population of 500 million people — do not have access to any digital device, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc, according to a 2017 survey by <a href="http://www.mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/NSS75252E/KI_Education_75th_Final.pdf">the Ministry of Statistics</a>. Even those households which have a digital device face several problems. According to the report, 75% of parents in these five states said that they faced challenges like — low internet speed, no internet connection, and expensive data. <div type="image" title="First day of online classes for children in the state on Tuesday" msid="78126346" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;First day of online classes for children in the state on Tuesday&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> In some of the states, like Jharkhand, parents say they did not have the “right device” that can get access to online classes. Lack of online education has had an impact on both private and government schools, however, the impact on state-run schools was higher. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds will lose almost <a href="https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/Status%20report%20Government%20and%20private%20schools%20during%20COVID%20-%2019.pdf">“40% of their previous year’s learning.”</a> The digital divide may impact employability in the long-run and there will be a situation of under-employment, suggests Dr Akhil Shahani, Managing Director, the Shahani Group. “People will take more logistic jobs or tedious jobs just to pay their bills,” Shahani told Business Insider. Besides, when it comes to government schools, the pandemic’s ripple effect spills beyond just education delivery. “In addition to being a site of learning, a government school also provides entitlements such as Mid-Day Meals (MDM), textbooks and other learning materials,”<a href="https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/Status%20report%20Government%20and%20private%20schools%20during%20COVID%20-%2019.pdf"> added the Oxfam report. </a> A quarter of children may drop out of school, fear teachers Coronavirus has pushed lakhs of families in rural areas into poverty — which may in turn force children to join the workforce to reduce financial burden. More than 40% of teachers in these five states are afraid that a quarter of students may drop out of school once they reopen. According to the Oxfam report, experts estimate that ‘out of school’ children in India will double wherein marginalized social groups such as Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims will be disproportionately affected. Moreover, girls in rural areas will be more affected than boys. Many of them may even be forced to get married early. “The moment a family’s income gets impacted by a calamity, girls are the first to bear its brunt, they are always thought of as a burden and not an asset so they are the lowest priority,” Renuka, a gender rights activist with Pardada Pardadi Educational Society told <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/ongoing-crisis-may-push-adolescent-girls-into-early-marriage-or-work/">India Spend. </a> <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/School-Readiness-_post-COVID-Report_Dream-a-Dream_06.06.2020.pdf">According to another report</a>, around 320 million students in India are likely to be impacted by school closure — which may result in increasing economic and social stress, an increase in food security. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/society/news/for-facebook-and-twitter-the-changes-to-indias-it-amendment-act-is-what-the-doctor-ordered-or-not/articleshow/78121530.cms">For Facebook and Twitter, the changes to India's IT (Amendment) Act is just what the doctor ordered — or not</a>

8 in 10 parents in these five Indian states say there was no online education in government schools during the lockdown

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="23050" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sweden">Sweden</keyword> announced a further tightening of measures this week as its COVID-19 cases continue to climb.</li><li>The country could also be facing its first lockdown, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven warned this week.</li><li>New infections have prompted Sweden to gradually abandon its unique approach it first adopted.</li></ul>Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven warned this week that the country is facing its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sweden-10-locals-how-they-feel-second-covid-19-wave-2020-11">first lockdown</a> since the start of the pandemic as it seems unable to control its rising <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> case numbers.The country, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sweden-admits-coronavirus-strategy-underestimated-strenght-virus-lofven-stefan-2020-12">famously relied on mostly voluntary measures </a>during the pandemic, has been forced to gradually tighten its distinct approach after it's seen a rise in cases in the last two weeks.On Thursday, Sweden reported more than 4,800 new coronavirus cases and 40 deaths - the highest since the beginning of the month, <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/sweden">according to a John Hopkins University's tracker </a>Sweden has recorded more than 659,000 cases since the start of the pandemic."We are seeing an increase in cases again, we need to take new measures," Lofven said at a press briefing on Wednesday, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-24/swedish-pm-sees-high-risk-of-new-wave-of-covid-infections">according to Bloomberg</a>. "If the situation gets worse, the government is prepared to enforce a possible lockdown in parts of Sweden. Hopefully, that will not be needed."Sweden has been scrambling to get its rising cases under control for several weeks now. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.co.za/sweden-passes-law-to-allow-closures-amid-high-death-toll-2021-1">In December,</a> the government issued its first recommendation to wear face masks - a topic that was largely taboo in the country.One month later, Sweden closed its borders with neighboring countries Norway and Denmark and also<a href="https://www.businessinsider.co.za/sweden-passes-law-to-allow-closures-amid-high-death-toll-2021-1"> introduced a law</a> that would allow the government to close restaurants, shops, and public transport to combat the spread of COVID-19.Measures were tightened even further this week, when Lofven announced that as of March 1, restaurants and cafés which do not serve alcohol will have to close at 8.30 pm and that there will be a limit on the number of people allowed in shops and gyms.Restaurants in shopping malls will become takeaway only, and amateur sports will also be stopped, Lofven said.The restrictions come not only as cases continue to rise but also as public health experts have indicated that the country's health system is now facing the virus's new variants. Anders Tegnell, the architect of Sweden's initial no-lockdown response, said on Tuesday that it now seemed "almost inevitable" that the more infectious UK variant would become dominant in Sweden, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/02/26/sweden-hesitates-use-new-covid-lockdown-laws-infection-rate/">The Telegraph reported.</a> In Stockholm, it is already identified in 27 percent of samples tested.A day after Sweden announced tweaks to its measures, the prime minister of neighboring Finland declared a three-week coronavirus lockdown starting March 8, which would see all restaurants closed and a maximum of six allowed to gather.

Sweden has U-turned on several of its coronavirus measures and is now facing its first lockdown, warns PM

<keyword id="5302" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="italian">Italian</keyword> Prime Minister <keyword id="6566369" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="giuseppe-conte">Giuseppe Conte</keyword> said that beginning on May 4, the manufacturing, construction, and wholesale sectors can go back to work. They will be followed by retailers, museums, galleries, and libraries on May 18 and by bars, restaurants, hairdressers and beauty salons on June 1. Also beginning on May 4, people will be allowed to visit their relatives as long as they wear masks; parks and public gardens will reopen, and people will be able to go jogging or bike riding further than 200 meters from their homes, Conte said in a nationally televised speech on Sunday evening, Xinhua news agency reported. Conte made the remarks ahead of the end of the national lockdown on May 3, which is to be followed by what he called <keyword id="6393270" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="phase">Phase</keyword> Two. Funerals will be allowed but with a maximum of 15 participants as long as the social distancing requirements are fulfilled. All businesses will have to follow rigorous workplace safety protocols. Conte said the government has fixed the price of surgical masks at 50 eurocents each to prevent speculation, and promised "massive support" measures for businesses and the tourism sector in order to reopen the economy during Phase Two. "If you love <keyword id="21474" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Italy">Italy</keyword>, maintain your inter-personal safety distance to keep the new <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> pandemic at bay," Conte said. "We are about to embark on the phase of living with the virus, and we must be aware that the curve of the contagion could go back up in some parts of the country," Conte said. "The risk is there, and we must take it on, methodically and rigorously," he said. "This is why during Phase Two it will be even more important to maintain the inter-personal safety distance of at least one meter." "Responsible behavior on the part of each one of us will be essential: if you love Italy, you must avoid the risk of spreading the contagion," Conte said. "If we don't respect the distance the curve will go back up and it could go out of control, our deaths will increase, and at that point the damage to our economy could become irreversible," the prime minister warned. "Our objective is not to have more people on welfare but more people with jobs," Conte added. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/data-of-coronavirus-patients-state-wise-in-india/articleshow/74669748.cms">Coronavirus cases in India state wise</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/topic/coronavirus">Coronavirus News and Updates</a>

Italian PM announces plan to ease coronavirus lockdown beginning on May 4

<ul><li><keyword id="55225" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Former-finance-minister">Former Finance Minister</keyword> of India P <keyword id="6362104" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="chidambaram">Chidambaram</keyword> listed out his thoughts on how much the government should spend to support poor farmers and wage employees. </li><li>In his statement, Chidambaram said, “We owe a duty to extend our total support to the Prime Minister and the central and the state governments. </li><li>His tips include direct benefit transfer and home delivery of ration to beneficiaries. </li></ul>Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram listed out various ways in which the government should support the poor amid the country-wide lockdown. PM Modi announced a 21-day lockdown yesterday (March 24) to fight <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword>. In his statement, Chidambaram said, “We owe a duty to extend our total support to the Prime Minister and the central and the state governments.” Half of the Indian population still survive on daily wages, and the lockdown will leave them in the middle of nowhere. The experience for India is going to be a lot different from what Italy, France, and China may have experienced because of its vast majority that lives below the poverty line. Construction workers, domestic help, sanitation workers in private establishments, daily wage labourers in small shops and factories, film production crews across countries, and many more like account for nearly 90% of India’s population - will experience the heat of this lockdown. Here is what Chidambaram listed out in his statement for the Indian government <ol><li>For farmers, the government should double the amount paid/payable under PM-KISAN (to ₹12,000) and transfer the additional amount immediately to the bank accounts of beneficiaries. </li><li>It should bring tenant farmers under PM-KISAN. Take the list from the state governments and transfer ₹12,000 (in two instalments) to the bank accounts of each farmer. </li><li>Take the list of registered Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (MGNREGA) workers and transfer the sum of ₹3000 into the bank account of beneficiaries. </li><li>For the urban poor, take the Jan Dhan accounts with the urban branches of the banks and transfer a sum of ₹6000 into the bank account of each beneficiary. </li><li>Offer to every ration card holder, through the ration shops, 10kg of rice or wheat absolutely free, as a one-time measure in the next 21 days. He also added that the government should arrange for home delivery of this. </li><li>All registered employers to maintain current levels of employment and wages. It should guarantee such employers that the government will reimburse the wages of the employees within 30 days of payment. </li><li>Open a register in every ward or block and invite people who have not received payment under any of the categories listed above to register their name, address and Aadhar. Street people and destitute will fall under this category. After minimal verification, open a bank account in each name, seed it with Aadhar and transfer Rs 3000 into each account. </li><li>Extend the deadline for payment of any kind of taxes until June 30. In the interim banks can be instructed to lend to panchayats, municipalities and corporations against the security of the tax receivables. </li><li>Instruct banks to extend the date for any kind of EMI payment until June 30. </li><li>Cut GST rates by 5% on all wage goods, essential services and all goods of mass consumption from April 1 to June 30.</li></ol>SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-should-be-open-to-accept-assistance-from-china-according-to-a-political-scientist/articleshow/74803654.cms"> India should be open to accept assistance from China, according to a political scientist</a>

Former Finance Minister Chidambaram lists out how much the government should pay Indians during the lockdown

UK Prime Minister <keyword id="6380867" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="boris-johnson">Boris Johnson</keyword> on Wednesday faces mounting pressure for a temporary complete national <keyword id="91743" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="lockdown">lockdown</keyword> to act as a "circuit breaker" for the continued rise in <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> infections, even as the new three-tier system COVID-19 restrictions came into force across England. While the new medium, high and very high alert levels system cleared <keyword id="9256445" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-house-of-commons">the House of Commons</keyword> vote on Tuesday to be enforced from Wednesday, more than 40 MPs from Johnson's own <keyword id="107792" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Conservative-party">Conservative Party</keyword> rebelled with their vote against the 10pm curfews imposed on pubs, bars, restaurants and other hospitality settings. On the other end of the spectrum, Opposition Labour Leader Keir Starmer demanded a two to three-week short "circuit breaker" lockdown instead as he accused the government of having "lost control" of the pandemic. "The government's plan simply isn't working - another course is needed," he said. The Opposition demand for a "temporary set of clear and effective restrictions" for the country came as Northern Ireland chose the toughest route of shutdowns to try and control the spread of the virus, which include shutting down schools from Monday. Under the localised rules for the region, hospitality businesses will be limited to takeaway and delivery services for four weeks from Friday after health officials warned infections would rise further if both schools and hospitality premises remained open. "A lot of these decisions will have huge impacts - we're very determined this will be a time-limited intervention," said Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster. Scotland, meanwhile, already has tougher measures in place and Wales has warned that its own "circuit breaker" lockdown preparations were underway. "I'm not announcing it today but I do want people to know we are planning very seriously, so if we do need to do it we'll be in a position to do it and in a position to do it quickly," said Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford. He has called on Johnson to convene an emergency <keyword id="10107063" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="cabinet-office-briefing-room-a">Cabinet Office Briefing Room A</keyword> (COBRA) meeting so that all four nations of the United Kingdom, able to set their own levels of lockdown, could discuss measures on a nationwide scale. According to official documents released earlier this week, senior government advisers and scientists have also recommended a so-called circuit breaker as the R rate - or the rate at which the infection is being transmitted within the community - continues a worrying upwards trajectory, adding pressure on the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) hospitals and clinics. Meanwhile, under the three-tier system of restrictions now in place across England, most of the country is in the lowest tier - medium - but millions of people in the north and the Midlands face extra curbs on households mixing. The Liverpool region is the only area to be under the toughest rules, with pubs and bars not serving meals closed. Government health officials are holding talks to discuss the possibility of Greater Manchester, Lancashire and some other areas joining the top tier. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has also warned that the UK capital may have to be moved into the high category, from the current medium zone, due to a worrying spike in cases. Areas on a medium alert are subject to the national restrictions currently in force, including the rule of six on indoor and outdoor gatherings and the 10pm closing time for pubs, bars and restaurants. In addition to these restrictions, in areas on high alert - including north-east England, much of the North West and parts of the Midlands, along with West and South Yorkshire - different households are not allowed to mix indoors. Areas on very high alert face extra curbs, with different households banned from mixing indoors or outdoors in hospitality venues or private gardens. Pubs and bars will be closed unless they are serving substantial meals and there is also guidance against travelling in and out of the area. It comes as a further 17,234 coronavirus cases were recorded in the UK this week, while 143 more people have died, taking the death toll from the virus closer to 43,000. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-wipro-infosys-future-retail-airtel-irctc-srf-and-others/articleshow/78651966.cms">Top stocks to watch — Wipro, Infosys, Future Retail, Airtel, IRCTC, SRF, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/apple-new-iphone-12-series-with-5g-launched-starting-at-rs-69999-along-with-side-homepod-mini-debut/articleshow/78647779.cms">Apple's new iPhone 12 series with 5G launched starting at ₹ 69,999 along with HomePod Mini debut</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/a-spacecraft-flying-by-venus-on-wednesday-night-could-confirm-recently-found-signs-of-alien-life/articleshow/78646790.cms">A spacecraft flying by Venus on Wednesday night could confirm recently found signs of alien life</a>

UK PM Boris Johnson under pressure to order full 'circuit breaker' COVID-19 lockdown

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11905566" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="remote-work" source="Orion">Remote work</keyword> and vaccine <keyword id="11893878" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="stocks" source="Orion">stocks</keyword> rallied in Friday trading as traders bet on the new <keyword id="11948588" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus-variant" source="Orion">coronavirus variant</keyword> to spark fresh lockdowns.</li><li>The rest of the market slumped the most all year, overshadowing strong 4Q forecasts and data showing a budding boom.</li></ul>With the ink barely dry on news of another COVID strain, Wall Street is already betting big on another round of lockdowns.The new variant of <keyword id="11893194" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus" source="Orion">coronavirus</keyword> discovered in Africa has quickly revived worries of another virus wave, as experts fear its many mutations could make it more infectious — and potentially vaccine-resistant. The variant, named B.1.1.529, has already been found in South Africa, Botswana, and Hong Kong. The world <keyword id="11893570" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="economy" source="Orion">economy</keyword> had only just seemed to put the Delta wave in its rearview before this new strain, which stands to freeze the global recovery in its tracks all over again.Investors are already hedging for more economic pain. Shares of popular "stay-at-home" stocks <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/moderna-stock-zoom-video-peloton-new-covid-variant-pfizer-biontech-2021-11">rebounded on Friday</a> as traders dumped reopening strategies and braced for new lockdowns. Telework picks Zoom Video and DocuSign bounced as much as 11% and 6%, respectively. Peloton shot nearly 8% higher. Vaccine plays including Pfizer, Moderna, and BioNTech all soared as well.The rallies are even more pronounced when compared to the rest of the market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled as many as 1,000 points, or about 3%, in Friday trading, while the S&amp;P 500 fell 2.2% at intraday lows. The session is on track to be the market's biggest single-day decline in 2021, though the Friday session is set to end early due to the Thanksgiving holiday.Stocks aren't the only assets plummeting on fresh <keyword id="91743" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lockdown" source="Orion">lockdown</keyword> fears. Brent crude oil slid below $75 per barrel for the first time since September. The plunge marks a stark reversal from the price jumps <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oil-prices-today-emergency-reserves-spr-gas-prices-biden-opec-2021-11">seen earlier this week</a>. The drop signals traders are betting on new lockdowns to crimp global gas demand.The selloff comes as the US recovery accelerates and banks forecast <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/economic-recovery-booming-fourth-quarter-wall-street-gdp-growth-forecasts-2021-11">booming growth in the fourth quarter</a>. Indicators for consumer spending and jobless claims have returned to pre-pandemic levels, and the labor market is on its way to a complete recovery. But the market's massive Friday selloff doesn't just signal the recovery is slowing; it also means the new variant is threatening reopening itself.<h2>From reopening to renewed lockdowns</h2>Traders' bearish outlooks have already materialized in some countries. Austria and Slovakia imposed new lockdown rules as their respective case counts rebound. Belgium established a four-days-a-week telework mandate for everyone except essential workers. The Netherlands is forcing bars and restaurants to close at 8 pm, and the UK has already <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-travel-ban-variant-in-african-countries-b11529-11?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">blocked flights from six African countries</a> to lower the odds of the new variants' transmission.The new restrictions echo those put in place at the start of the pandemic and at the onset of the Delta strain's spread. Lockdowns swiftly halted economic activity and dragged economies into self-inflicted recessions. Vaccines paved the way for reopenings, but COVID variants risk repeating the cycle and keeping countries from fully healing.To be sure, it's too early to tell whether the latest strain will prompt widespread lockdowns. The World Health Organization has said there are less than 100 genomic sequences of the new variant available, meaning it will take some time to study its differences. Existing vaccines could protect against the strain like they do against Delta, or they could be rendered useless.Dr. Anthony Fauci has said he <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-coronavirus-variant-southern-africa-no-indication-in-us-fauci-2021-11">wants to see more research</a> on the strain before recommending new policies. The WHO and South African authorities are set to meet on Friday to discuss the variant.The market fallout also comes after stellar gains in recent weeks. The S&amp;P 500 sat near record highs when the market closed on Wednesday. With equities already boasting such lofty valuations, any negative development was likely to spark profit-taking.Still, the magnitude of the Friday slump shows investors already bracing for the worst. To them, news of the latest variant means a return to remote work, a need for new vaccines, and that reopening is now on hold. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/homebody-economy-post-pandemic-world-consumer-spending-home-improvement-hobbies-2021-5">homebody economy</a> may have months or years to run yet.

You Searched For "PM on Coronavirus Lockdown" and got 10 results

Spain to extend coronavirus lockdown through May 9: PM

PTI

Boris Johnson said he didn't know his 2020 office party that violated UK lockdown measures 'could amount to a breach of the rules'

Lauren Frias

Three-week lockdown reasonable starting point to fight coronavirus in India: former White House official

PTI

UK PM Boris Johnson warns against easing efforts to fight Covid-19

IANS

8 in 10 parents in these five Indian states say there was no online education in government schools during the lockdown

Preeti Soni

Sweden has U-turned on several of its coronavirus measures and is now facing its first lockdown, warns PM

Sophia Ankel

Italian PM announces plan to ease coronavirus lockdown beginning on May 4

IANS

Former Finance Minister Chidambaram lists out how much the government should pay Indians during the lockdown

Navdeep Yadav

UK PM Boris Johnson under pressure to order full 'circuit breaker' COVID-19 lockdown

PTI

Forget reopening. The new COVID variant has 'stay-at-home' stocks rebounding.

Ben Winck

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