Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Sajid Javid on future of Covid situation in UK: 'No one really knows'

Sajid Javid on future of Covid situation in UK: 'No one really knows'

UK health secretary has said that it is unpredictable what trajectory the Covid pandemic will take in the weeks ahead, reported the Guardian.

"The truth is, when it comes to case numbers no one really knows where they are going to go next," Sajid Javid was quoted as saying while visiting a vaccination centre in Little Venice, west London.


Britain reported 27,734 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday (28), an increase on the 23,511 reported a day earlier and a first rise in the daily total after seven consecutive days of lower cases, government data showed.

It also reported 91 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, compared with 131 on Tuesday (27).

The number of new positive test results was down by more than half from 54,674 on 17 July, just before most restrictions were relaxed.

“I hope that the falls that we’re seeing now are sustained. That’s of course what I want to see. But we’ve already seen with the Delta variant, a new variant that emerged over the last year, that’s more infectious than the previous one, that things can change," Javid said.

“And so, I think it’s important to remain cautious, not get too optimistic."

However, prime minister Boris Johnson had confirmed that quarantine will be scrapped for double-jabbed adults in England on 16 August.

Ministers had last week declined to confirm the 16 August date. The environment secretary, George Eustice, said it was just “some kind of indication” and could move in either direction.

When the more relaxed quarantine regime comes in on 16 August, double-jabbed adults identified as close contacts of a person who has tested positive for Covid will no longer have to self-isolate.

Instead, they will be advised to take a PCR test. If it returns a positive result, they will be legally obliged to quarantine; if it is negative, they can go about their lives as normal.

Children will also be exempted from having to quarantine and advised to take a PCR test, despite the fact they are not being given the vaccine, the report added.

According to the government, releasing the double-vaccinated from the obligation to quarantine will help to create another incentive for those reluctant to get the jab to come forward.

More For You

Sri Lanka seeks to negotiate with Adani over renewable energy plants

Gautam Adani

Sri Lanka seeks to negotiate with Adani over renewable energy plants

SRI LANKA’S government started talks with India’s Adani Group to lower the cost of power from two wind power projects the group will build in the island nation’s northern province, the cabinet spokesman said last Tuesday (28).

Sri Lanka has been reviewing the group’s local projects after US authorities in November accused billionaire founder Gautam Adani and other executives of being part of a scheme to pay bribes to secure Indian power supply contracts. Adani has denied the allegations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Badenoch proposes stricter citizenship rules for all migrants

Kemi Badenoch delivers speech on January 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Badenoch proposes stricter citizenship rules for all migrants

CONSERVATIVE PARTY on Thursday (6) proposed a clampdown on all migrants by tightening citizenship rules and barring social benefit claimants from residency rights.

Kemi Badenoch, who took over from Rishi Sunak in November last year, outlined her first major policy agenda as Tory leader in a move seen as an attempt to win back the support of Conservative voters drawn to the far-right anti-immigrant Reform party.

Keep ReadingShow less
New body led by Sir Sajid Javid aims to amplify ‘unheard’ voices
Sajid Javid

New body led by Sir Sajid Javid aims to amplify ‘unheard’ voices

A NEW independent commission to improve cohesion would engage across all nations and regions of the UK by moving beyond Westminster-centric discussions and include more diverse voices, the director of British Future thinktank has said.

Sunder Katwala said building confidence across different groups will be a priority, as economic pressures and tensions due to Middle East conflict have polarised communities in the UK.

Keep ReadingShow less
Yarl’s-Wood-detention-centre-Getty

In 2018, she was detained at Yarl’s Wood detention centre after being told she would be deported. (Photo: Getty Images)

Court awards £100,000 to Pakistani asylum seeker over unlawful detention

A PAKISTANI asylum seeker has been awarded nearly £100,000 after a UK court ruled that she was unlawfully detained and subjected to breaches of her rights by the Home Office.

Nadra Almas, who arrived in the UK on a student visa in 2004, overstayed after her visa expired. She argued that returning to Pakistan would put her at risk as a Christian.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan court gives unusual punishment to Youtuber Rajab Butt for owning lion cub

Pakistani zookeeper Mohammad Amir holds the confiscated lion cub at Lahore’s safari zoo last Tuesday (28)

Pakistan court gives unusual punishment to Youtuber Rajab Butt for owning lion cub

A PAKISTANI YouTube star who was gifted a lion cub on his wedding day avoided jail after promising a judge to upload animal rights videos for a year.

Rajab Butt has one of the largest online followings in south Asia, and his week-long nuptials in December were plastered over celebrity gossip websites.

Keep ReadingShow less