UK coronavirus live: minister admits more testing capacity needed for care homes
Health minister Edward Argar concedes government still needs to ‘make available’ Covid-19 testing capacity to all care home residents
- Coronavirus latest: at a glance
- Is the new antibody test a ‘game changer’?
- Record drop in A&E attendance ‘a ticking timebomb’
- Global coronavirus updates – live
- Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak
Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon is holding her daily press conference, which you can watch live here.
She has said that a total of 2,007 patients have died after testing positive for the virus, up by 34 from 1,973 on Wednesday.
Watch live: First Minister @NicolaSturgeon holds a press conference on #coronavirus (#COVIDー19).
Joining the First Minister today is Health Secretary Jeane Freeman and Scotland’s Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith. https://t.co/5Wzw1se6tn
The Office for Budget Responsibility has published a revised assessment of the impact of coronavirus on the national finances. Faisal Islam, the BBC’s economics editor, has the key findings.
OBR updates estimates of costings for Coronavirus support
Furlough scheme till July now £63bn gross, tho £50bn when include tax
Extension to Oct depends on what “lions share “ means – but cd take to £83bn
Earmarks £5bn taxpayer losses on loan guarantees
£1bn extra welfare pic.twitter.com/oWjAXjpboy
Which would take the implied deficit this year from its “reference scenario” up £25bn to just under £300bn or 15% of GDP.
Just two months ago at the Budget the deficit was officially forecast at £55bn.
Continue reading…