#social-distancing

#social-distancing

Nineteen children have died of acute respiratory infections in West Bengal this year, and thousands more are in hospital as India grapples with an adenovirus outbreak.More than 12,000 cases of adenovirus have been recorded in the state since January.More than 3,000 children have been admitted to hospital with severe flu-like symptoms.

Staff at Toronto's largest park have a warning for pet owners after seeing an alarming increase in the number of pets being abandoned in recent years.Allendria Brunjes, external relations manager with Rouge National Urban Park, said it only received two reports of domestic animals being abandoned in 2019 and 2020.

The House of Commons privileges committee has found that Boris Johnson repeatedly misled MPs when he told them he knew nothing about lockdown-breaking social gatherings in and around Downing Street.These are the main points of what is a highly damning and hugely detailed report.Key findings on wrongdoing Johnson was found to have committed five serious offences: 1. Deliberately misleading the Commons 2. Deliberately misleading the privileges committee 3. Breaching confidence (by leaking part of the report in advance) 4. Impugning the committee, and thus parliamentary processes 5. Complicity in a campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the committee.

Political reporter, BBC News

MPs investigating whether Boris Johnson purposefully misled Parliament over Partygate will publish their long-awaited report on Thursday.Mr Johnson quit as an MP after receiving an advanced copy of the report - which he said had found him guilty "regardless of the facts".

Rachel Hall Good morning, Today there's one thing everyone is talking about in Westminster: is this the death knell for Boris Johnson's political career?His face this morning is splashed across the newspaper front pages, where he is variously described as agile, defiant and rattled.Johnson appeared before the privileges committee to defend attending parties as an essential pandemic activity, in the hope that MPs might agree that he did not mislead parliament.

Boris Johnson has repeatedly insisted he did not intentionally mislead Parliament over Partygate in a three hour grilling by a committee of MPs.The former prime minister began the session with a Bible in his hands, as he swore: "Hand on heart, I did not lie to the House."He admitted social distancing had not been "perfect" at gatherings in Downing Street during Covid lockdowns.

A number of senior officials who were implicated in the partygate scandal have been nominated in Boris Johnson's resignation honours list.Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said it was sickening that those who held boozy lockdown bashes during the pandemic in Downing Street had been recognised by the former prime minister.

After 16 months, Boris Johnson was finally forensically cross-examined over Partygate live on TV and for nearly four hours.Previous attempts to do so in brief media interviews or through questions posed in the Commons chamber allowed him to obfuscate or run down the clock.But in front of the cross-party privileges committee on Wednesday, there was nowhere to hide.

Boris Johnson admitted misleading MPs but denied doing so intentionally or recklessly as he published a defence dossier apportioning blame to advisers and criticising Parliament's inquiry.The former prime minister rejected accusations of a cover-up and insisted his partygate assurances were made in good faith based on what he believed at the time, as he fights to avoid a possible suspension from the Commons.

After months of wrangling and years since the events in question took place, Boris Johnson will give his long-awaited evidence to parliament's privileges committee on Wednesday.Here are five key questions he faces: 1) On 27 November 2020, Johnson attended and gave a speech at a gathering in the No 10 press office.

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email A new report into Boris Johnson and Partygate has been released by MPs investigating whether or not the former prime minister lied to parliament.The privileges committee today published a 24-page document which will be used to question Mr Johnson when he appears before the MPs later this month.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

More than three years after the pandemic started sweeping through the California prison system, a report from UCLA offers a new measure of just how bad it was - and which prisons handled it the worst.After analyzing nearly 300 letters and interviews from people in prison, a team of law students ranked which facilities had the most red flags for potential constitutional violations between April 2020 and April 2021, the first year of the pandemic.

The number of available Los Angeles County hospital beds has fallen to its lowest level of the pandemic, the result not only of the enduring threat of COVID-19 and the reemergence of flu and RSV, but also the needs of a populace that put off non-emergency care.Based on data collected from 90 hospitals, there were 242 adult beds available countywide as of Monday, L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told reporters Thursday.

Ministers are very unlikely to meet their own targets to boost walking and cycling in England despite spending more than 2bn on active travel infrastructure, a damning report has found.While most walking and cycling projects are delivered by local councils, until recently there were few guidelines for how these should be built, the government's official spending watchdog said, and thus minimal oversight of their quality.

The expiration of federal COVID-19 emergency declarations on Thursday brings a slew of changes with potential effects on public health policy, food security, immigration and other areas of life.But many changes might not be that noticeable.Much of what constitutes a public health emergency takes the form of bureaucratic changes within government, noted John's Hopkins University infectious disease specialist Dr. Amesh Adalja.

The Boston Globe Just over three years after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, masks are becoming a rarity on the T and in crowded public spaces, floor stickers once meant to enforce social distancing are peeling away, and some vaccine mandates are being dropped.Still, more than 1,800 Americans are dying of COVID each week and nearly 2,800 are being hospitalized - though those figures haven fallendramatically since their peaks.

When the pandemic shut down schools across the country, the federal government responded with billions of dollars to help districts support remote learning, serve free meals to students and safely reopen schools.In 2021, the Biden administration gave districts another $122 billion through its $1.9 trillion stimulus package, an amount that far surpassed previous rounds.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist who launched his 2024 presidential bid earlier this year, discussed the importance of a democratic election and critiqued the Democratic National Committee over the push to change the presidential nominating calendar in a Thursday address to the New Hampshire Senate.

May 16
1933 - Cecil Travis of the Washington Senators made his major league debut with five hits in a 12-inning, 11-10 win over the Chicago White Sox.1939 - The Cleveland Indians beat the Philadelphia Athletics 8-3 in 10 innings in the first American League night game, held at Philadelphia's Shibe Park.

FILE - Commuters wearing face masks ride bicycles along a street in the central business district in Beijing, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022.The World Health Organization downgraded its assessment of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, May 5, 2023, saying it no longer qualifies as a global emergency.(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)LONDON - The World Health Organization downgraded its assessment of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, saying it no longer qualifies as a global emergency.

Boris Johnson has insisted that a leaving do for a senior aide in No 10 was not a party, despite police fines being handed out for the pandemic-era event.The former prime minister said it would be completely wrong to suggest he had been partying during lockdown, as he was being grilled by MPs over whether he misled the Commons with his denials about partygate.

1. Brain abscesses in US children increased significantly in the months following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. 2. The increase in abscesses was especially pronounced in areas where restrictions were lifted earlier and more quickly. 3. The study's authors suggest that the increase in abs

Despite expectations that stay-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic would lead to a baby boom, the birth rate took an unexpected downturn.New research, however, shows that the decline wasn't equal across state lines.Some states, in fact, actually saw birth rates rise - and those states have a few things in common.

Restaurants had a rough pandemic, but customers were understanding.The industry's struggle brought out the best in many Chicagoans.Loyal patrons went out of their way to ensure favorite venues survived, and in some cases showered workers with extra tips and gratitude.Today, the pandemic emergency is officially over.

The flame-shaped neon archway was visible from miles away, which was good since there was little other reason for anyone to be in that part of town, an expanse of fields outside an industrial city in eastern China.The lights flickered between icy blue and red-hot, leaping toward the night sky beside a jumbo sign: Zibo Barbecue Experiential Ground.

Consultation is not a new concept.Neither is the wisdom and insight that comes from listening.Lived experience counts.Most people would agree.Yet when it comes to a simple request from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have a voice, suddenly these things are open to debate.Show us the evidence, critics say.

At the end of 2022, Italy's government approved a one-year extension of electronic prescription for medicines, but it is just temporary and there's a high risk it might disappear in 2024.The e-prescription should be made a permanent measure, alongside other urgent improvements in the Italian healthcare system that's in need of modernization.

Ambulances queue outside the Royal London Hospital in east London as patients wait for a bed to become available (Photo: James Manning/PA Wire) A raft of additional Covid-style guidance measures could be introduced should the Government consider the NHS to be on the brink of collapse due to the winter admissions crisis, officials have told .

Piedmont-based Lantern Projects has released a new wish list to help those in need around the world.March and April contributions have provided solar-powered flashlights, library supplies, kitchen supplies, 50 bicycles and more.Wish #470 in Kenya requests washable diapers for disabled children and adults with three inserts for $4.50 each diaper.

Virginia schools can require masking for peers and teachers of 12 students with disabilities to protect from virus exposure as part of reasonable accommodations under federal disability law, according to a settlement reached this week.The settlement concludes a legal battle between the parents of the students with disabilities that put them at high risk of severe illness from Covid-19 and state officials, including Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who issued an executive order forbidding schools from requiring mask-wearing as one of his first acts in office.

Disease detectives with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating a cluster of rare and serious brain abscesses in kids in and around Las Vegas, Nevada, and doctors from other parts of the country say they may be seeing a rise in cases, too.In 2022, the number of brain abscesses in kids tripled in Nevada, rising from an average of four to five a year to 18.

Sign up for CNN's Stress, But Less newsletter.Our six-part mindfulness guide will inform and inspire you to reduce stress while learning how to harness it.Who needs Valentine's Day after years of social distancing has ramped up the pressure to pack so much love into one Tuesday in February?This is the perfect year to lean into a less pressure-filled holiday.

Issued on: 14/02/2023 - 21:06 Stanford women's soccer team players wear warmup jerseys with "Mental Health Matters" on their backs on October 14, 2022, in Stanford, California.Yalonda M. James, AP A major French mental health study has found a huge rise in the number of young people reporting depression, with the most likely cause seen as Covid-19 and restrictions to control the disease.

A recent study states that Covid-19 reinfections could pose additional risks to people's long-term health as compared to only getting Covid once however, some infectious disease experts in the US disagree that there is evidence showing repeat infections are more dangerous.The issue of the impact of repeated infections is becoming a crucial one in the United States as the Covid-19 pandemic is now tailing off amid a widespread relaxation of any social distancing or restrictions, which has seen many people catch the virus two or more times.

Boris Johnson has accepted that he misled MPs but insisted his Partygate denials were made in good faith based on what he honestly knew at the time.The former prime minister insisted in his written evidence to the Privileges Committee inquiry that he did not intentionally or recklessly mislead the House.

(Image credit: McDonald's/Future)
McDonald's is known for the quality of its print advertising, with its creative campaigns often playing with our expectations of a billboard or poster.We've seen the company ditch its branding, create type-only ads and even create a fully functioning sundial.But here's an ad that proved subversive for all the wrong reasons.

While SARS-CoV-2 has dominated headlines for the past few years, other viruses have been simmering in the background.And with most of COVID-19's infection control measures (like mask-wearing, isolation, and physical distancing) now gone in the U.S., those viruses are starting to roar back again.The U.S. has already seen spikes in RSV and influenza, and now norovirus cases are inching upward, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails The temperature outside Klaus Mueller's office almost resembles spring, exactly the kind of mild weather that helped Germany get through the winter without Russian natural gas.

Matt Hancock suggested to an aide that they "frighten the pants off everyone" about Covid, messages published by the Sunday Telegraph show.It appears the former health secretary discussed when to reveal the existence of the Kent variant of Covid to ensure people complied with lockdown rules.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails The Commons Privileges Committee has set out the key issues it intends to examine in its inquiry into whether Boris Johnson misled Parliament over lockdown parties in Downing Street.

In a recent NFL game, the Indianapolis Colts led the Minnesota Vikings 33-0 at halftime.At that point, Las Vegas was offering odds better than 100-1 the Colts would win, but the Vikings staged a furious second-half rally and won on a field goal in overtime.It was one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history and proved once again that it is not always possible to predict the outcome of an event before it ends.

Masks are back, and, this time, they're not just for COVID-19.A tripledemic of the coronavirus, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, sweeping through the United States has prompted several cities and counties, including New York City and Los Angeles County, to encourage people to wear a mask in indoor public spaces once again.

The cultural sector is seeking alternatives to business-as-usual.This article is the second in the series, "Remember the Future: Culture and Systems Change," co-produced by Art.coop and NPQ.In this series, queer, trans, and BIPOC artists and cultural bearers reflect upon the unique role that culture has played and can play in activating and enacting structural change-and in building a solidarity economy.

COVID has inspired filmmakers stuck at home, with traditional projects on hold, to turn the isolation and disruption of the pandemic into movies that work around the requirements of social distancing and document some of the stresses and adjustments we have all experienced.Even with a very strong cast, "Life Upside Down" is a lesser entry in this category due to a weak screenplay from director Cecilia Miniucchi that relies on tepid dialogue and awkward and distracting workarounds.

On a recent, sunny weekday morning in San Francisco's Noe Valley, Andrew Casteel mounted a planter encased in a royal blue plastic pot on his cargo bike, along with a screwdriver and some small paintings, and cycled down Sanchez Street.He biked down the residential street, one of 17 so-called "Slow Streets" that San Francisco began implementing in 2020 as a way to give people more space to recreate while social distancing.

This is the most unsocially distanced party in the UK right now, Boris Johnson joked to No 10 staff at an alcohol-fuelled leaving do during a Covid lockdown, it has been reported.The alleged remarks by the former prime minister, who was ousted by his own MPs in significant part because of the Partygate scandal, cast doubt on his claims he did not know gatherings broke Covid laws in place at the time.

The last time the Dodgers held a FanFest, it was adjusted to allow for social distancing because of the budding pandemic in early 2020 and conversation centered around the news from a month earlier that the 2017 Astros were cheating cheaters who cheat.Little did we know at the time that the weird FanFest, with everything taking place in the parking lot and access severely limited, would be the most normal part of 2020.

Politics The governor devoted much of his speech to championing New Hampshire's successes, calling the state an "island of freedom surrounded by frankly highly taxed and highly regulated states."CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Republican Gov. Chris Sununu was sworn in for a fourth term Thursday, exuding confidence and calling for increased cooperation, civic engagement and local control.

People walk past a girl wearing a face mask in a shopping district of Mumbai, India, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022.India has begun randomly testing international passengers arriving at its airports for COVID-19, the country's health minister said Thursday, citing an increase in cases in neighboring China and also asked the public to wear masks and maintain social distancing, even though there are no official mandates for either.

Federal health minister announces new rule in parliament, citing an increase in cases in neighbouring China.India has begun randomly testing international passengers arriving at its airports for COVID-19, the country's federal health minister has said, citing an increase in cases in neighbouring China.

The number of patients in hospital with flu in England has skyrocketed according to new data, sparking warnings that this season could be more severe than in pre-pandemic years.An average of 1,939 people with flu were in hospital each day last week, up 67% on 1,162 the previous week, according to NHS England.

France's commitment to proving the unrivaled depth of its resources, at this stage, swept past impressive long ago.It is now skirting the borders of remarkable.Before the World Cup started, Didier Deschamps, France's coach, had already lost five players to injury  most of them likely starters.Deschamps did not so much as blink.

Several France players have caught colds, with Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate the latest to fall ill and miss training, the French Football Federation has confirmed
Striker Randal Kolo Muani said the infected were isolating in their rooms.France face Argentina in the World Cup final at 15:00 GMT on Sunday.

It's human nature to want to keep the memory of the deceased alive.Photography, for instance, has served as a powerful tool to help us do this.I've explored this with my 2020 project  ALIVE: Lost for Words, where I photographed people against a projected image of their lost loved ones.Recently, the pandemic left us feeling closer than ever to death, forcing us to confront our own mortality and the legacy we leave behind.