O19 - 3rd March 2021 - Wilson James
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o19
3rd March 2021
HIGHLIGHTS
Worldwide cases of COVID-19 are at 115,383,217 with deaths totalling 2,562,457 as of 3rd March
according to Worldometer. So far, 91,182,956 people have recovered from the virus.
The COVID-19 alert level for the UK has been downgraded from ‘critical’ to ‘severe’ on the advice of
the Joint Biosecurity Centre. The new ‘severe’ threat level means that the transmission of COVID-19 is
considered ‘high or rising exponentially’.
Families in England are to be offered free Covid-19 tests once schools reopen on 8th March. Secondary
and college pupils will be tested with lateral flow tests twice a week, receiving three tests in schools
before they start testing themselves at home. Twice weekly tests will be offered to school bus drivers
also and other adults working in schools.
As of 28th February, more than 244.2 million doses of the vaccine have been administered worldwide.
Israeli authorities have fully vaccinated 37.9% of the country’s population, whereas the UK have given
two doses to 1.2%.
From Monday 1st March, nearly 2 million people aged 60-63 will start receiving letters inviting them to
receive their first dose of the vaccine. The government’s next target is to offer all over 50s their first
dose by 15 April, as well as unpaid carers and those aged 16-64 with underlying health conditions.
UK rail travellers will see price rises as of Monday 1st of March as England and Wales increase ticket
costs by 2.6% and Scotland by as much as 1.6%.
PHE are working with the postal service to try to identify the person who carried the Brazilian variant
of Covid-19 into the country. The prime minister denied hotel quarantine measures implemented came
too late. Three cases of the highly transmissible variant were discovered in England and another three
in Scotland.
BREXIT
DUP Agriculture Minister Gordon Lyons has ordered staff to stop work on new permanent border
control posts in Northern Ireland. Border control posts are a requirement of the Brexit deal between
the UK and the EU. Lyons said he was responding to practical difficulties caused by the Northern Ireland
protocol. Sinn Féin MP Chris Hazzard, has accused Mr Lyons of being foolish and not having the
authority to make such a decision. Mr Hazzard stated that the DUP should not have made the order to
stop work without the matter being discussed at the executive meeting. Temporary Border Control
Posts will continue to operate as normal.
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WORLD NEWS/RAS/3rd March 2021COVID – 19
TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES TOTAL DEATHS PATIENTS RECOVERED
115,346,863 2,561,708 91,165,759
03.03.2021 Worldometer
COVID-19 – UK
Seven–day rolling rate of new cases Seven–day rolling rate of new cases
by specimen date ending on by specimen date ending on
18 Feb 2021 25 Feb 2021
Patients weekly admission data as of 23/02/2021
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WORLD NEWS/RAS/3rd March 2021COVID-19 – UK
The total confirmed UK COVID-19 cases as of 2nd March is 4,188,400 with 123,296 deaths according to
GOV.UK.
As of 2nd March, over 20,478,619 people have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccination in the
UK and 844,098 have received their second dose according to GOV.UK.
UK Government Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, has confirmed that it will not be compulsory for school
students to wear a mask or take COVID-19 tests, although it is hoped students will voluntarily take
twice-a-week tests in school.
Policing of COVID-19 restrictions have been stepped up in England and Wales, with 40% of all fines
handed out by police since the beginning of lockdown being issued in the four-weeks up to mid-
February.
The Director for UCL’s Centre for Behaviour Change, has found evidence that people may be less likely
to follow COVID-19 restrictions once they have received their vaccination. In December, a survey found
that 29% of people would follow the rules less strictly after being vaccinated and 11% said they would
not follow the rules at all.
There has been a significant increase in the number of people furloughed in the construction industry.
Government figures releases this week show just over 244,000 workers were on furlough at the end of
January compared to 195,000 in December 2020.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled a £5bn scheme to help the retail and hospitality industries. Firms
will be able to apply for grants worth up to £18,000 to help then reopen as lockdown measures ease
through the spring. Nearly 700,000 businesses will be eligible to apply for the scheme.
Local authorities in Wales have begun closing car parks at beaches and beauty spots to deter people
from making non-essential journeys. Swansea Council received the request from South Wales Police
after they had received reports of crowds gathering on beaches.
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WORLD NEWS/RAS/3rd March 2021COVID-19- OTHER COUNTRIES
Canada
On 26th February, the Canadian drug regulator approved the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and have ordered 20
million doses.
Ecuador
The Ecuadorian Health Minister, Juan Carlos Zevallos, has resigned after being put under investigation for the
mishandling of the country’s vaccine rollout after ‘irregularities’ were reported in a vaccination pilot
programme.
France
French Health Minister Olivier Véran announced on Monday 1st March that France now approves the use of
the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for those over the age of 65 with a pre-existing medical condition. France
had previously banned its use in that group despite its full approval by the EU.
Ireland
Hundreds of anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police in Dublin City Centre on 27th February. At least 20
people were arrested after the demonstrations turned violent.
Ivory Coast
The Ivory Coast have become the second country to receive vaccines as part of the COVAX programme. The
country received 504,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
New Zealand
New Zealand’s biggest city, Auckland went into a seven-day lockdown on 28th February after a new local case
of COVID-19 was found, although the origin is currently unknown. During lockdown, people will only be able
to leave home for work or essential shopping.
Palestine
The Palestinian Health Minister, Mai al-Kaila, has recommended that the West Bank go into a two-week
lockdown in order to mitigate a new surge in COVID-19 infections. It has been reported several hospitals are
now approaching capacity after a recent increase of cases between 20-30%.
United States of America
The FDA has approved the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to be given as one dose rather than two. Studies
have shown that one dose was 85% effective against Covid-19. More than 510,000 people have died in the
USA due to Covid-19.
Useful Information Sources
UK wide – Public Health England
Scotland – Scottish Government
Northern Ireland – NISRA
COVID-19 deaths in England & Wales – ONS
COVID-19 Statistics – Worldometer – Johns Hopkins University
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WORLD NEWS/RAS/3rd March 2021WORLD NEWS
Albania
Construction work has begun to renovate the Pyramid of Tirana. The Pyramid, which was originally built as
monument and museum dedicated to communist leader Enver Hoxha, was used as a base for NATO during
the war in Kosovo. The structure will now become a hub for culture and include cafes, studios and
workshops.
China (Hong Kong)
47 people have been charged with “subversion” under a controversial security law. The law came into force
because of violent pro-democracy protests that took place in 2019. The maximum sentence for those found
guilty is life imprisonment. A number of key democracy campaigners were arrested including Jimmy Sham
who was a key organiser of the 2019 protests.
France
On 1st March former, President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to one year in prison followed by a two year
suspended sentence. The court found Mr Sarkozy guilty of attempting to illegally obtain information from a
magistrate about legal action he was involved in dating back to 2014. Mr Sarkozy has 10 days to appeal the
ruling. Sarkozy is expected to serve his sentence under house arrest, as is the custom in France for custodial
sentences of less than 2 years.
Haiti
Arnel Joseph, one of the country’s most powerful gang leaders has escaped from prison. Joseph escaped
during a riot resulting in 25 people shot dead including the director of the prison. Until his arrest in 2019,
Joseph was the country’s most wanted fugitive for charges including rape, kidnap and murder.
Indonesia
Oil giant Chevron has announced that on 27th February an unknown quantity of oil was spilled from one if its
pipes in Dumai Port, Riau, Indonesia. Immediate steps were taken to avoid further spread of the oil and a
clean-up operation is in place.
Iran
Saeed Khatibzadeh, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson has rejected an offer from the EU to informal talks
aimed at restarting the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Since 2018 when the Trump administration withdrew from
the deal, Iran has increased production of enriched uranium and restricted site access to the International
Atomic Energy Agency.
Israel
An unexplained explosion struck MV Helios Ray, an Israeli cargo ship on 27th February. The vessel which was
sailing in the Gulf of Oman en-route to Singapore from Damman was about to enter the Arabian Sea when
it made a sudden return to its port of origin. The point where the vessel turned round was very close to
where two other vessels collided with Iranian limpet mines in 2019. On Monday 1st March, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran for the attack.
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WORLD NEWS/RAS/3rd March 2021Lebanon
Volunteers have begun cleaning oil from beaches in the south of the country. A storm washed up tonnes of
oil onto the coast, which includes the Tyre Coast Nature Reserve. The source of the spill has not been
identified, however, a number of oil tankers sailing in the region have been put under suspicion. It was
originally thought the spill had come from the Greek tanker MV Minerva Helen; Israeli maritime officials have
absolved the tanker of responsibility.
Myanmar
At least 18 people were killed in countrywide protests on 28th February. The UN has accused security forces
of firing live rounds, stun grenades and teargas at protesters. A woman died at a teachers protest in Yangon,
after police tried to break up the protest using stun grenades.
Nigeria
42 people including 27 teenage boys were released by their captors on 27th February. Gunman kidnapped
the school group on 17th February from the Government Science secondary school in the town of Kagara.
Economic challenges facing people in Nigeria have seen an increase in kidnappings in the north of the
country.
Pakistan
A bill has been passed in Pakistan banning corporal punishment for children. The ban will only apply in
Islamabad but campaigners hope it will apply nationwide. The mistreatment of children is widespread in
Pakistan; in January 2021, a pupil was beaten to death by his teacher for not memorising a lesson at a
religious school in Punjab. In June 2020, an 8-year-old girl was beaten to death for letting her employer’s
parrot escape.
Russia
On Tuesday 3rd March, The US is expected to announce sanctions against Russia because of the poisoning of
opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny is currently serving a 2 year 8 month sentence for parole violations
in Russia. This comes after the European Union agreed to impose sanctions against Russia on 22nd February
also expected to commence on Tuesday.
Turkey
The United States have released an intelligence report stating that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince, Mohammed
bin Salman, had direct involvement in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. Mr Khashoggi was murdered in the
Saudi Arabian embassy in Istanbul in 2018 and had been a frequent critic of bin Salman. Mr Khashoggi was
visiting the embassy to pick up documents needed for his forth-coming wedding when he died.
United Kingdom
The funeral of Captain Sir Tom Moore took place on Saturday 27th February at Bedford crematorium. At the
request of his family, the ceremony was a private affair with military honours. Captain Sir Tom died in early
February after contracting COVID-19 in January. His ashes are to be interred in Yorkshire at the Moore family
plot once lockdown restrictions allow. Captain Sir Tom rose to fame whilst raising £33 million for the NHS
over his 100th birthday last year.
United States of America
On 1st March, Donald Trump told attendees of a conservative conference in Florida that he has no plans on
launching a new political party in the USA. This was Mr Trump’s first speech since leaving office in 2020. Mr
Trump has criticised US President Joe Biden’s foreign policy stating that it had gone from “America first to
America last”. Mr Trump has also hinted he may also run for president in 2024.
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WORLD NEWS/RAS/3rd March 2021INSIGHTS
Our Risk Advisory Service regularly publish articles and advisories covering a myriad of subjects. These
publications can be found within our Insights section on our Risk Advisory Service website.
Working from home and return to the office
On 22nd February, Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown. The four-step
plan will see lockdown and other restrictions gradually eased. The final fourth step will see all legal limits on
social distancing removed along with the reopening of any remaining closed sectors in the economy. Step four
is planned to happen on 21st June at the earliest.
On 16th March 2020, Boris Johnson made his first of a regular number of press conferences. Addressing the
nation, he instructed that people should start working from home where possible. Over the next few days,
many offices became empty or occupied by only a skeleton support staff. One of London’s financial complexes,
Canary Wharf, now only sees 6,000 people a day on site. Prior to the pandemic, the daily total was over
100,000. From 21st June, the proposed lifting of remaining restrictions will mean that those working from
home can return legally and safely to their regular place of work 1.
Many people are expected to return to work gradually whilst others are expected to split their week between
home and the office. A survey conducted by Lloyds Banking Group found that nearly 80% of staff want to work
from home for at least three days a week. Following the survey, the company intends to reduce its office space
by 20% over the next two years. The company currently has 65,000 employees, 55,000 of whom are working
from home 2.
David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs has said that throughout 2020 less than 10% of the company’s staff
were working from their office. He is eager for all staff to return to their regular place of work when permitted
and has rejected the idea that working from home is the new normal. Mr Solomon suggested that working
from home does not fit in with the culture of the firm, which relies on collaborative and innovative working 3.
Post pandemic, research has shown that with the number of people not returning to their regular place of
work, unused office spaces could cost businesses £13bn. Many companies are already looking to sublease
their office space; subleased office availability in London has risen by 15% since the start of the pandemic 4.
The effect the new shape of working will have on pension schemes, many of which are invested in property,
is yet to be determined. The potential lower occupancy levels will also have a knock-on effect on many
associated businesses from facilities management and security to catering and transportation suppliers.
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WORLD NEWS/RAS/3rd March 2021COVID19@wilsonjames.co.uk / riskadvisory@wilsonjames.co.uk @WJltd @WJ_Ltd www.linkedin.com/company/wilson-james
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