Finland restricts common medicines, UK's depression rise: COVID-19 daily bulletin
Updated 00:30, 19-Aug-2020
Aden-Jay Wood
Europe;

TOP HEADLINES

- Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin said she will take a COVID-19 test after experiencing mild symptoms of the virus.

- France's plan to make face masks mandatory in most workplaces will come into effect on 1 September, a government official said. 

- The number of people in the UK suffering from depression doubled during the pandemic, the country's Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. 19.2 percent of 3,500 people who participated in the ONS survey said they experience depression in June compared to 9.7 percent who said they had suffered with it from June last year to March 2020. 

- Finland is to restrict the availability of some common medicine like paracetamol and Dexamethasone to try to make sure enough is available during the next wave of the virus. 

- Luxembourg will test all people arriving back in the country after being on holiday in a bid to try to isolate the virus. 

- Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel has told the country's citizens there will be no easing of the current restrictions whilst there is a surge in cases.

- The World Health Organization admitted it was concerned that the virus is being spread by people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. WHO Western Pacific regional director, Takeshi Kasai added that many were unaware they were infected. 

- Malta is the latest country in Europe to close its bars and nightclubs amid fears of a second wave following a surge in infections.

- British retailer Marks & Spencer announced plans to cut a further 7,000 jobs as sales continue to struggle. The firm, which announced last month it was axing 950 management jobs, said it expects most of the cuts to be from voluntary redundancies and early retirement. 

- Norway's sovereign wealth fund posted a loss of $21.27 billion in the first half of 2020 after a fall in stocks and real estate holdings during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

- The EU competition regulators cleared a $1.2 billion plan by Sweden and Denmark to recapitalize the struggling Scandinavian airline SAS. 

- The first of two European Champions League semi finals takes places on Tuesday in Lisbon, Portugal as France's Paris Saint Germain and Germany's Red Bull Leipzig fight for a place in the final of European football's premium tournament. 

 

British retailer Marks & Spencer announced plans to cut 7,000 jobs. /Reuters

British retailer Marks & Spencer announced plans to cut 7,000 jobs. /Reuters

I believe there can be no further loosening (of restrictions) at this point
 -  Angela Merkel, Germany's Chancellor

ACROSS EUROPE

Nawied Jabarkhyl in London

The UK's education minister, Gavin Williamson, said he's "incredibly sorry" for the stress caused to students after a U-turn in how students' exam results were graded.

Because of COVID-19, 16-18-year-olds were unable to sit their A-level and GCSE exams, with tens of thousands having their predicted marks downgraded. 

That decision has now been dropped and despite Williamson's apology, pressure is growing for him to resign. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has publicly backed him.
Elsewhere, British retail firm Marks & Spencer says it's cutting 7,000 jobs. 

The retailer says the coronavirus has made it rethink its business model, with in-store sales significantly lower in recent months with online shopping doing well.

 

Toni Waterman in Brussels

The National Crisis Centre has warned Belgians that they are "taking a risk" by traveling abroad right now, as coronavirus cases spike across the continent.  

Not only could they become infected while traveling, but they could also find themselves in a location that turns into a red zone during their holiday. 

The Crisis Centre has also asked returning holidaymakers to comply with the government's stop light system, which requires a 14-day quarantine and a COVID-19 test for all passengers returning from a red zone.

It also recommends quarantine and testing for those coming from an orange zone.

 

00:20

Isobel Ewing in Frankfurt

The German government will begin paying out its one-off coronavirus child bonus to parents and caregivers from next month.

The government is paying families €300 ($357) per child as a kind of "thank you gift" to the millions of parents who had to take over childcare and teaching responsibilities after the closures of kindergartens and schools due to COVID-19.

The payment is recognition of the disruption and stress this caused and is part of the country's 130-billion euro stimulus package to reboot the economy.

The first instalment of €200 ($238) is planned for 7 September, and the remaining €100 ($119) will be paid in October.

 

Ross Cullen in Paris

The French government is meeting unions on Tuesday to discuss new safe business practices as people begin to return to work after the summer holidays. 

The labour ministry is hosting a video-call with union representatives to outline plans which are likely to include new rulings on how widespread the wearing of face masks should be during working hours and in which parts of the workspace. 

The situation regarding those employees who are still working from home will also be addressed. 

Ahead of the meeting, the Medef union voiced its fears that the government may bring in "overly coercive measures" and the Force Ouvrière union raised concerns over whether the government, employer or employee will have to take on the cost of supplying masks.

 

01:55

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