The UK Government has insisted it is taking “the right step at the right time” after its own scientific advisers cast doubts on its plan to ease lockdown before its contact-tracing program has been fully rolled out.
And job losses have hit Emirates, with the Dubai-based airline making an undisclosed number of staff redundant, despite promised “equity injections” from Dubai’s Government.
This story will be regularly updated throughout Monday.
Monday’s key moments:
- UK Government responds to criticism it is lifting lockdown too early
- Emirates lays off staff as virus continues to decimate travel sector
- Pope Francis weighs in on lockdowns: ‘People are more important than the economy’
- Trump postpones G7 meeting, invites Australia
UK Government responds to criticism it is lifting lockdown too early
British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab has defended the Government’s “careful” loosening of the coronavirus lockdown, saying it was the “right step to be taking at this moment in time”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has come under fire from some scientists for easing a lockdown put in place 10 weeks ago, with several saying it was a premature and risky move in the absence of a fully functioning system to track new outbreaks.
With Britain experiencing one of the world’s highest death rates from COVID-19, the Governme