New Castle, Delaware: Former vice president Joe Biden has made his first campaign trip outside his Delaware home since quarantining himself due to the coronavirus pandemic 10 weeks ago, visiting a nearby veteran’s memorial to mark the US Memorial Day holiday.
Biden, the prospective Democratic presidential nominee, and his wife, Jill, both wearing black masks, laid a wreath of white roses at a memorial for veterans of World War II and the Korean War.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden wore a mask as he laid a wreath on Memorial Day.Credit:AP
“It feels good to be out of my house,” Biden told reporters, his speech slightly muffled by the mask. Maintaining his distance, he saluted about a dozen veterans and other onlookers standing a few metres away and thanked them for their service.
Biden has been holding campaign events ahead of the November election online from his house in Wilmington ever since much of the country was forced to stay largely at home to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Chief Advisor to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings | Pool photo by Jonathan Brady/WPA via Getty Images
Dominic Cummings says he disagrees with those who believe he broke lockdown rules.
LONDON — Boris Johnson’s top adviser Dominic Cummings insisted he “behaved reasonably†when he drove 260 miles during lockdown — but admitted he should have been clearer about his actions and spoken out sooner.
After his actions sparked major uproar, Cummings issued an unprecedented statement in the Downing Street rose garden on Monday.
Cummings was accused of breaching the rules of the lockdown when he drove from London to Durham to spend two weeks of quarantine near family after his wife showed coronavirus symptoms.
He said he made the decision to be near family out of fear it might be impossible to care for his 4-year-old child. He said he was also motivated to be somewhere more remote after receiving threats of violence over his role in Downing Street.
Cummings argued he acted “reasonably and legally†— pointing to a clause in the lockdown guidelines that allows for exceptional childcare circumstances — and added: “I think the people like me who make the rules should be held accountable for their actions.â€
He said some will think he breached the lockdown rules, adding: “I know the intense hardship and sacrifice the country has had to go through, however I respectfully disagree.â€
Cummings also explained that he drove 30 miles from Durham to the town of Barnard Castle to check he could drive safely before making the long journey back to London. But he denied he made a second trip to Durham, as has been claimed in the media.
Cummings refused to apologize or resign, after Conservative MPs, government scientists and members of the public argued he had undermined the lockdown rules, and suggested the media had misreported the facts.
But he admitted he should have explained himself beforehand — after the issue engulfed the government for a number of days. “It would have been better to have made this statement earlier,†he told reporters.
He also said he did not ask the prime minister before he drove to Durham, but did let him know after the fact.
A man has been charged with murder over the death of a four-year-old girl in Brisbane.
The 43-year-old Cannon Hill man was denied police bail, and is due to face the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
The girl’s family is assisting with the investigation, police said on Monday afternoon. They appealed for anyone with information to contact police.
Police established a crime scene at a home in the eastern suburb of Cannon Hill after the girl was found dead about 9.20am on Monday.
They cordoned off Bent Street as detectives tried to determine the cause of death, and local residents posted on social media that about 10 police cars and two ambulances were at the home, which is near Cannon Hill Anglican College.
Emergency services were called about 9.30am. (Nine)
The school sent an email to parents advising them that the street would remain closed for the rest of the day, and that alternative arrangements for school pick-up were being made.
“This morning an incident occurred in a residence in Bent Street close to CHAC Primary,” the email read.
“Should you hear of this incident through the media, please be assured that there is no reason to be fearful of any threat to the school and your children are safe and are being kept totally unaware of the police presence outside the college.
“We are currently working with the police on a plan for pick up at the end of the day. Please continue to monitor your emails for updates.”
The home is located just a few doors down from a school. (Nine)
A tradesman who was working nearby the home said he was alarmed by the commotion as dozens of police arrived.
“I was just doing some work and next minute, I heard cars coming and a bit of commotion,” tradie Trent O’Brien said.
“Then all of a sudden I looked down there was one, two, three. I counted about ten cop cars fly in. A few ambos, maybe about four or five.
“There was a lot of police, more than 20.”
He said his initial reaction was to think something had gone wrong at the school.
“I honestly thought there was a problem at the school which made me feel a bit sick knowing it was children,” he said.
“Which in this case it turned out to be which is quite sad.”
The deal will give the government two seats on Lufthansa’s supervisory board but the agreement worked out over the last few weeks stipulates these should be taken by “independent experts.” | Christof Stache/AFP via Getty Images
The deal still needs to be approved by the European Commission’s competition team.
BERLIN — The German government Monday approved a €9 billion bailout package for flag carrier Lufthansa in return for an initial 20 percent stake in the airline, the economics and finance ministries said.
The deal will give the government two seats on Lufthansa’s supervisory board but the agreement worked out over the last few weeks stipulates these should be taken by “independent experts,” which would appear to exclude political appointees.
The financing includes a €3 billion loan through the national development bank with €600 million of that coming from commercial banks. Around €5 billion comes in return for the ownership stake; a final €1 billion could be converted into an additional 5 percent stake, the statement said.
The deal still needs to be approved by the European Commission’s competition team, and the statement says “intensive talks” are continuing between Berlin and Brussels.
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On what was supposed to be their wedding night, Lindsey Leaverton and Bri Houk sat in their car on the top floor of a parking garage in North Austin and ate pizza, watched the sunset and finished off a Yeti full of champagne. “I put on a private concert for Bri and we danced under the stars,†Ms. Leaverton said.
Ms. Leaverton, 37, and Ms. Houk, 31, met through the dating app HER. Their first date was 24 hours later, on Ms. Leaverton’s birthday. “It was the middle of June in 2018. I asked her to an outdoor concert where we drank red wine, had deep conversations, lots of laughter, and a divine connection. I knew that night she was my person,†Ms. Houk said.
In that moment, though their original wedding plans had to be canceled, their hopes were far from dashed. They knew it would happen. Soon.
Ms. Leaverton says she knew as well. “In this one profound moment, she was talking about something that made her light up, and I just simply could not take my eyes off her,†she said. “I remember having the thought I have had every day since, ‘I’m going to marry this woman.’â€
The two say they found in one another the kind of magic that some say only exists in movies. But for Ms. Leaverton and Ms. Houk, it could not have felt any more real, and in fact, their love would end up making an appearance on the big screen.
Not waiting to miss a moment of magic, both women wanted to propose and be proposed to. And 13 months after meeting, Ms. Houk proposed during the 2019 Austin Pride Parade, celebrating with friends, family and colleagues who joined them on a nearby rooftop bar.
Ms. Houk had revealed two details that would prove vital when it came for Ms. Leaverton to propose: She wanted to attend the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and ride in a hot-air balloon. “I also knew that one of Bri’s favorite experiences is a beautiful sunrise,†Ms. Leaverton said. After a year of planning, they flew to New Mexico for the festival and got up hours before sunrise the next day.
“As we headed out to the field to get ready for takeoff, I couldn’t stop shaking and smiling,†Ms. Leaverton said. “Then it all went to hell in a hot-air balloon basket, or so I thought.â€
The fog was so bad that all flights were grounded. “So, as we climbed out of the basket, I grabbed her hand, gave her a handwritten note that I thought she’d be reading in the air, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry me.â€
The couple planned a small but elegant wedding for April 10 at the Hotel Ella in Austin, Texas.
But then everything changed. “We kept hearing more and more about this epidemic that was slowly but fiercely making its way across various parts of the world,†Ms. Leaverton said.
Reality began to sink in when the city issued a shelter-in-place order on March 24; it was to be in place until at least April 13.
“April 10, 2020 would not, in fact, be our day,†Ms. Leaverton said.
Then about two weeks later the couple learned that Ms. Leaverton’s father, Mark Leaverton, had tested positive for Covid-19. Mr. Leaverton, 70, was still recovering from emergency bypass surgery six months before, creating even more concern for his well-being and an urgency to have their wedding sooner rather than later.
Cassie Crudo, their wedding planner and the owner of Bride’s Best Friend, came to their rescue, suggesting they marry at Doc’s Drive-In Theater, just outside Austin, in the city of Buda. They instantly fell in love with the idea. Everyone would remain in their cars, food would be served to each car, and the ceremony would be projected onto the big screens.
When Ms. Leaverton told her parents about their new wedding plans, it certainly was far from what they expected. Of course, when she came out to them — or rather was outed to them many years earlier — it wasn’t what they had expected, either. “I have learned that Plan A is totally overrated,†Ms. Leaverton said. “Usually the magic happens somewhere between Plans B and C, all the way to Plan Z.â€
This has been a theme in Ms. Leaverton’s life. She once had a rising career as a Christian singer, until she was outed by a woman who had a vendetta, Ms. Leaverton said, and suddenly everything she called solid ground was gone. She lost friends, her church, her tour and her label.
There was no Plan B. “I started waiting tables at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, cleaning up bread crumbs off the floor for less than minimum wage and just tried to be the best damn little waitress I could.â€
Then, as luck would have it, everything changed for her on New Year’s Day 2010 when, Ms. Leaverton explains, “A bigwig senior V.P. from Wells Fargo sat in my section and she proceeded to recruit me to come work for her. I remember getting a suit from Stein Mart and leaving the tags on, because I didn’t think I would get the job.â€
But Ms. Leaverton, who graduated from Texas A&M, did get the job. “I went into banking and kind of worked my way up,†she said. “For almost a year now, I’ve been lucky enough to serve as the director of wealth management services for an investment firm in downtown Austin, and I love it.â€
Ms. Houk is also no stranger to life’s often blatant disinterest in the plans we make. Born in Oklahoma and raised in Louisiana, her upbringing was far from an easy one. “I am lucky to be where I’m at today,†she said. “I wasn’t necessarily going down the right road and I could have ended up in a completely different place.â€
Her father was absent. “We lived in a shelter home at one point while my mom was trying to get on her feet.†Her family later lived in Section 8 housing relying on food stamps.
Ms. Houk is grateful to have left that past far behind her. She is now a surgical dental assistant at Jovan Prosthodontics in Austin, although because of Covid-19, she was recently furloughed.
Staying home did allow her time to plan their new wedding — a good thing since they only had 17 days to do it.
On April 28, in a dusty parking lot at Doc’s Drive-In Theatre, more than 80 cars, many festively decorated at the brides’ behest, arrived at dusk filled with pajama-wearing guests, another request from the brides. A small stage was set up and festooned with balloons and a simple backdrop hung behind it. The wedding was shown on two giant movie screens flanking the stage. It was also streamed live on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram Live for friends, family, and curious strangers to watch.
Just before the ceremony, Ms. Leaverton approached her parents’ car, keeping a safe six feet away. Suddenly she was overcome by tears. “I want to hug you so badly,†she said through the window.
Ms. Leaverton’s father was unable to walk her down the aisle. Instead, her 7-year-old twin daughters from a previous marriage, Annabelle and Olivia, did as an instrumental version of “Hallelujah†played.
Ms. Houk planned to have her son, 4-year-old Atlas, walk her down the aisle as well. But he was unable to attend as she shares custody with his father and the wedding fell on one of his nights. Instead, her younger sister, Shaye Stephenson, walked with her as their mother, LaDonna Houk watched.
Jen Hatmaker, an author and a longtime friend and mentor to Ms. Leaverton, led the ceremony.
“Today is a celebration of love,†said Ms. Hatmaker, who is ordained through Christian Global Outreach Ministries. “It’s the great unifier — our one universal truth. No matter who we are, where we’ve come from, what we believe, we know this one thing: Love is what we’re doing right.â€
Updated June 1, 2020
How do we start exercising again without hurting ourselves after months of lockdown?
Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,†says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.†Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home.
My state is reopening. Is it safe to go out?
States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.
What’s the risk of catching coronavirus from a surface?
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
How can I protect myself while flying?
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?
More than 40 million people — the equivalent of 1 in 4 U.S. workers — have filed for unemployment benefits since the pandemic took hold. One in five who were working in February reported losing a job or being furloughed in March or the beginning of April, data from a Federal Reserve survey released on May 14 showed, and that pain was highly concentrated among low earners. Fully 39 percent of former workers living in a household earning $40,000 or less lost work, compared with 13 percent in those making more than $100,000, a Fed official said.
Should I wear a mask?
The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.
What should I do if I feel sick?
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
How can I help?
Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities using a numbers-based system, has a running list of nonprofits working in communities affected by the outbreak. You can give blood through the American Red Cross, and World Central Kitchen has stepped in to distribute meals in major cities.
The couple exchanged vows they had written for one another and Ms. Houk even shared vows she specifically wrote for Ms. Leaverton’s daughters. “I am so proud to be your bonus mom,†she said to the girls through tears.
As part of her vows, Ms. Leaverton played a song on her guitar that she wrote for Ms. Houk:
“My love, I love you always, in all ways. My love, I choose you this day and all our days.
No matter what storms may come, you’re the one. Through every season, in every moment,
our love will find a way. In every valley, on top of mountains, our love will remain.â€
The crowd honked their horns and hollered throughout the ceremony, much to the brides’ delight. And as the moon rose and the fireflies began their evening dance, Ms. Hatmaker pronounced, “It is my great pleasure to present to you for the first time Lindsey and Bri Leaverton.â€
There was no formal reception after the ceremony — no cake, no elegant dinner, no long, drawn-out speeches. Instead there were bags of popcorn, plastic cups of champagne and messy pulled pork sandwiches in Styrofoam containers. There were also bubbles and boots and Stetson hats and the brides donned custom-embroidered denim jackets after the nuptials. “Mrs. Leaverton†on one and “Wife of the Party†on the other.
For this couple, it was never really about the wedding itself. “You can lose every detail — the flowers, the catering, the seating chart,†Ms. Hatmaker said after the ceremony. “It could all fall away and you’d still be left with the most beautiful parts of all. Lindsey and Bri didn’t lose a thing. It felt like a real sacred space out there in that dusty drive-in.â€
June bugs, tailgates, sprawling skies, honking cars and all.
On This Day
When April 28, 2020
Where Doc’s Drive-In Theater in Buda, Texas
Message From the Heart The Saturday morning after the wedding, Mr. Leaverton was lying in bed when, he said, he had a revelation. “God said to my heart, Mark you need to do a daddy-daughter dance with your daughter and with Bri, because she doesn’t have a dad. The God that I believe in is that tenderhearted and loving that he would tell me to do that. It never would have occurred to me to do that with Bri.†He said he will do just that when the couple finally has their big reception.
Answering With Love Ms. Leaverton, on one of the unexpected joys to come from the change in wedding plans: “To be able to show our kids that things happen that are outside of our control all the time. It’s not about the thing that happened it’s about how you respond.â€
Outdoor Wedding Perils There was a persistent June bug on Ms. Leaverton’s dress that crawled across the gown throughout the ceremony and another that landed in Ms. Houk’s hair, which Ms. Leaverton, despite loathing bugs, bravely plucked midceremony.
Surely It Was a Hit After the ceremony, the night’s second feature glowed on the big screen: “Airplane.â€
President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to relocate the upcoming Republican National Convention from North Carolina to another state if its Democratic governor doesn’t allow his party “full attendance†at the event.
In a series of tweets, Trump targeted Gov. Roy Cooper for being “still in Shutdown mood†during the coronavirus pandemic, saying he would find a more accommodating state if Cooper doesn’t cave to his demand.
“Plans are being made by many thousands of enthusiastic Republicans, and others, to head to beautiful North Carolina in August. They must be immediately given an answer by the Governor as to whether or not the space will be allowed to be fully occupied,†Trump tweeted. “If not, we will be reluctantly forced to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site.â€
I love the Great State of North Carolina, so much so that I insisted on having the Republican National Convention in Charlotte at the end of August. Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 25, 2020
…full attendance in the Arena. In other words, we would be spending millions of dollars building the Arena to a very high standard without even knowing if the Democrat Governor would allow the Republican Party to fully occupy the space. Plans are being….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 25, 2020
…made by many thousands of enthusiastic Republicans, and others, to head to beautiful North Carolina in August. They must be immediately given an answer by the Governor as to whether or not the space will be allowed to be fully occupied. If not, we will be reluctantly forced…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 25, 2020
…to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site. This is not something I want to do. Thank you, and I LOVE the people of North Carolina!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 25, 2020
Nearly 50,000 people are expected to attend the August 24-27 event in Charlotte, according to the RNC’s website.
In an interview on “Fox & Friends†Monday, Vice President Mike Pence said Trump’s request of Cooper is “very reasonable.â€
“It’s an issue we’ve been talking about because these national conventions literally take many months to organize and prepare,†Pence said. “There are states around the country — we think of Texas, we think of Florida, Georgia — the last two states I visited last week that have made tremendous progress on reopening their communities and reopening their economies.â€
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Spectrum Center in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, is scheduled to hold the Republican National Convention in August.
A spokesperson for Cooper’s office said state health officials are working with the RNC to address Trump’s capacity concerns and will review its plans as they make decisions about how to hold the convention in Charlotte.
“North Carolina is relying on data and science to protect our state’s public health and safety,†press secretary Dory MacMillan said in an email to HuffPost.
The Democratic National Convention is also scheduled for August in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Both the Republican and Democratic events will see their parties formally nominate their respective choices for the next president and vice president of the United States. Due to health concerns, the DNC’s organizers are considering turning it into a virtual gathering.
Representatives for the RNC did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s requests for comment on Monday.Â
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At any given time, more than a third of Americans are on a specific diet, with weight loss as a leading reason. Most are going to be disappointed, because even when successful, lost weight is frequently regained within a few months.
While most weight-loss diets can help you lose weight, they may be unsuccessful over the long run for a number of reasons. Some people don’t follow their diets carefully and don’t lose much weight even from the start. Others may go off the diet entirely after a while, because it’s too restrictive or the foods aren’t appealing. Some may engage in less physical activity as they consume fewer calories. But who hasn’t heard of someone doing everything right and still losing minimal weight, or regaining lost weight over time? Perhaps that someone is you.
Even when research studies confine study subjects to a research setting — with carefully-controlled calories, food types, and physical activity, and with intensive counselling, teaching, and monitoring — the lost weight and other health benefits (such as improved cholesterol and reduced blood pressure) tend to disappear soon after the study ends.
You can’t pick the right diet if none of them work
According to a new study, popular diets simply don’t work for the vast majority of people. Or more accurately, they are modestly effective for a while, but after a year or so the benefits are largely gone.
In a large systematic review and meta-analysis, recently published in the medical journal The BMJ, researchers analyzed 121 trials that enrolled nearly 22,000 overweight or obese adults who followed one of 14 popular diets, including the Atkins diet, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, DASH, and the Mediterranean diet, for an average of six months. The diets were grouped into one of three categories: low-carbohydrate, low-fat, and moderate-macronutrient (diets in this group were similar to those in the low-fat group, but with slightly more fat and slightly less carbohydrate). Loss of excess weight and cardiovascular measures (including cholesterol and blood pressure) while on one of these diets were compared with other diets or usual diets (one in which the person continued to eat as they usually do).
While weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol measures generally improved at the six-month mark, results at the 12-month mark were disappointing, to say the least.
While low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets both resulted in weight loss of about 10 pounds at six months, most of the lost weight was regained within one year. People in the moderate macronutrient group tended to lose less weight than those following the other diets.
Blood pressure and cholesterol results improved modestly at six months, but generally returned to where they started after a year. One exception was noted: reduced LDL (“badâ€) cholesterol levels while on the Mediterranean diet persisted at one year.
There were no major differences in other health benefits between the various diet programs.
All is not lost
Based on this new report, you might be tempted to throw up your hands and give up on weight-loss diets altogether. But there’s another way of looking at this: it probably matters less which plan you pick (whether low-carb, low-fat, or something in between) than whether you stick with it.
The average duration of the studies included in this analysis was six months. What if they’d lasted 12 months, or two years, or a lifetime? The benefit would likely have been greater and more long-lasting. The trick is to pick a diet with foods you actually like so that it’s not so hard to stick with it.
In addition, there are factors other than diet that can have a big impact on weight. For example, everyday physical activity, regular exercise, and sleep are important in helping to maintain a healthy weight.
Rather than following a highly restrictive or named diet, I endorse the Mediterranean diet. It’s among the best studied, performs well when compared with other diets (as in this analysis), and was the only diet in this analysis to have long-lasting effects on LDL cholesterol levels.
The bottom line
Losing weight is not easy. If you’re struggling with your weight, talk to your doctor, a nutritionist, and perhaps a health coach. Review this study with them and, together, decide on dietary and other lifestyle changes that appeal to you. Then stick with them. Remember, you’re most likely to stick with lifestyle changes you actually like.
Stella Kyriakides emphasized that easing travel restrictions should be first done by coordinating between regions in similar situations | Pool photo by John Thys/AFP via Getty Images
People ‘deserve a break, a breath of fresh air, a chance to travel,’ says health commissioner.
The EU can’t count on immunity certification when lifting border restrictions within the bloc, Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told health ministers on Monday.
“[Citizens] deserve a break, a breath of fresh air, a chance to travel and to visit family and friends,” Kyriakides said, according to a readout of the call. “We must make sure that they can do so safely.”
But immunity certification isn’t reliable, she said, emphasizing instead prevention measures like maintaining physical distancing; developing “robust” testing strategies; and ensuring sufficient health care capacity in EU countries — especially those that are tourist destinations.
Contact tracing, including contact tracing apps, are also important, Kyriakides said, but noted they must be interoperable so that people can be warned of an infection wherever they are, with whatever app they are using.
She also emphasized that easing travel restrictions should be first done by coordinating between regions in similar and “positively evolving” epidemiological situations, and welcomed the Baltic nations’ initiative to restart travel in a three-country bubble.
“I urge you all to monitor the situation as you ease restrictions and keep other member states informed of any epidemiological developments,” she said.
She encouraged countries to share their data with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which has been an issue. The ECDC was lacking national data to create an interactive map detailing the level of coronavirus transmission inside EU countries earlier this month, when the Commission published its guidelines on reopening internal borders.
“There are only so many people buying at that price point and going to department stores, but it should help them marginally,” he said. “But the whole group’s got the same challenges as Target, in some ways.”
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“It’s not quite as well-positioned as Kmart. Big W has a bit of the [cheaper] Kmart end and also some of the [more expensive] Target end.”
Big W has been a laggard in Woolworths’ portfolio since 2016, booking numerous losses and $286 million in impairments. In April last year, the Woolworths announced it would shutter 30 stores in an effort to make the chain viable, incurring a cost of $270 million.
But market watchers expect more than the mooted 30 stores will shut, as the coronavirus crisis exacerbates the pressures facing the department store sector. It could even kick off a long-term trend away from big-box retailing, White Funds managing director Angus Gluskie said.
“Department stores see benefits in shrinking their floor space, lowering staff numbers and condensing their offering. They are hoping that this more compact offering is not only more structurally cost efficient, but is more clearly defined for consumers,” the Woolworths shareholder said.
“It is highly likely that Woolworths would be coming to similar conclusions.”
Argo Investments managing director Jason Beddow.Credit:Jessica Hromas
Shutting more unprofitable stores and condensing their offering would be the most likely options Woolworths is considering, Mr Gluskie said.
Mr Beddow agreed, saying the 30 stores slated to close would be just the “tip of the iceberg”. So far, four stores have been closed. “As leases expire, unless they’re profitable [they’ll shut],” he said.
In February, Big W posted a $50 million profit before interest and tax, its first since 2016 and an indication to analysts the department store was beginning to turn a corner after years of being valued at near-zero within Woolworths’ portfolio.
Analysts now believe the chain may post a profit, with Merrill Lynch analyst David Errington telling clients in late April full-year earnings before interest and tax for the department chain would be $20 million.
Woolworths has told investors it expects to make a small profit in the full financial year. A spokesperson told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald the company had been pleased with its recent efforts to turn Big W around.
“Our customers tell us they like what we’re doing and our focus remains on meeting their needs to build a strong and sustainable business for the future,” they said.
On Monday, Woolworths shares rose 1.1 per cent to $34.55 and Wesfarmers jumped 1.7 per cent to $39.50. The broader market leapt more than 2 per cent.
Dominic Powell writes about the retail industry for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
As U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his chief aide Dominic Cummings have discovered to their cost, with public opinion on a hair trigger for hypocrisy the charge of double standards is currently the most toxic in British politics.
Brexit mastermind Cummings has been a polarizing figure for years. But the revelations over the weekend that he apparently broke lockdown rules have gone down extremely badly with many Brits, regardless of where their political loyalties lie.
But it isn’t just in the U.K. that the perception of double standards for the powerful has ignited a sharp public reaction. Politicians and officials ignoring lockdown rules have irritated citizens right across Europe. Some of them have decided that asking for forgiveness is a better strategy than trying to tough it out.
Austria
Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen apologized on Sunday after he and his wife were caught by police breaking curfew rules at a restaurant.
The country’s coronavirus restrictions include the mandatory closing of restaurants and bars at 11 p.m., but police said the couple still had drinks at their table after midnight Van der Bellen said on Twitter that he had gone out to eat for the first time since lockdown began with his wife and two friends.
“We lost track of the time while chatting and unfortunately overlooked the hour,” he wrote. “I am sincerely sorry. It was a mistake. If the restaurant host suffers any damage from this, I will take responsibility for it.”
Van der Bellen’s transgression came days after Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was forced to apologize for appearing unmasked among a crowd of people in a village near the German border.
“There are certain things that you cannot plan,” Kurz said later, acknowledging that some people had failed to practice social distancing.
Germany
Earlier this month in Germany, the liberal FDP party leader Christian Lindner was caught hugging a friend outside Borchardt, a restaurant that is a favorite of the Berlin elite.
After the incident was widely reported in German media, Lindner apologized on Twitter.
“The spontaneous farewell hug on Friday was a mistake, as they unfortunately occur among friends after a private evening,” he said. “It was not intentional … in the end we are all human. I’m sorry!”
Lindner was not the first German politician to violate coronavirus rules.
Earlier, Saxony’s state premier Michael Kretschmer was spotted engaging in a debate with protesters in Dresden without wearing a face mask, while Thuringia’s state premier Bodo Ramelow admitted to having broken the rules when he attended the funeral of a neighbor. Not every politician has broken the rules when it comes to funerals. It was revealed on Monday that the mother of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte died on May 13 but he was unable to visit her in her final weeks.
Romania
Meanwhile in Romania, thousands of people attended the funeral of the Archbishop Pimen Zainea of Suceava and Radauti last week.
Some mourners even kissed the coffin.
According to local media, the Romanian Orthodox Church had previously obtained special approval from the Department for Emergencies and the National Institute of Public Health.
Some Romanians reacted angrily to the news because COVID-19 rules in the country mandated that funerals can go ahead only with a maximum of eight attendees.
Poland
Last month in Poland, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and many other officials from the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) gathered to commemorate the anniversary of the death of the country’s then president Lech Kaczyński in a plane crash in 2010.
At the wreath-laying ceremony, neither the prime minister nor the other officials were wearing face masks or following social distancing guidelines.
The same day, Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of PiS and twin brother of Lech, was taken by limousine to a Warsaw cemetery at a time when graveyards were closed for regular citizens. Popular discontent with the apparent double standard found voice in a satirical song poking fun at Kaczyński called “Your pain is greater than mine.†It was subsequently dropped from the playlist of a government controlled radio station in what some in the country see as an act of censorship.
Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki | Aris Oikonomou/AFP via Getty Images
In yet another controversial incident, the prime minister last week ate at a newly reopened restaurant without maintaining the 1.5-meter social distancing rule.
He explained over the weekend that “a certain distance is suggested but not required†by the government’s coronavirus rules, but was later contradicted by a government spokesman who said Morawiecki had been “misinformed†about the guidelines.
Spain
Spanish Vice President Pablo Iglesias was criticized in March for breaking self isolation recommendations and turning up to government meetings. Iglesias’s partner, Equality Minister Irene Montero, had tested positive for the coronavirus and was in quarantine at the time, leading to worries that Iglesias could inadvertently infect other members of the government at the weekly meetings.
In April he was also censured for ignoring government recommendations on face masks and going to his local supermarket without one.
And last week, the funeral of Julio Anguita, former leader of the Communist Party of Spain, drew thousands of people to the Spanish city of Córdoba. Anguita, who served as mayor of Córdoba from 1979 to 1986, died unexpectedly of a heart attack on May 16.
Scenes of the crowds attending his funeral prompted considerable outrage among many Spaniards who complained that social distancing was not adhered to at the large ceremony. Many ordinary people who have died in recent weeks had to be buried in solitude, with family member unable to attend.
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