Domestic Politics
The British government pledged £75 million towards repatriating up to 300,000 citizens stranded abroad due to the coronavirus lockdown. Passengers will be charged £250-£500 and will be given an emergency loan if they can't afford the cost of the ticket. [The Times]
Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced that screening for breast, cervical, bowel, and other cancers have been "paused" so that NHS Scotland can prioritize the coronavirus after the number of COVID-19 cases in Scotland went past 1500, with 47 deaths. [The Scotsman]
Frontline doctors say they have been barred from speaking out about shortages of protective equipment, such as masks. NHS England confirmed that it is controlling media communications as part of its national emergency strategy. [The Independent]
International Relations
Prime Minister Boris Johnson insists that part of the Brexit agreement is that the UK will become free of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, thus leaving “British fishing grounds” to British boats. However, the EU General Affairs Council announced its intention to “uphold the existing reciprocal access to waters”. [Irish News]
A number of MEPs in the European Parliament urged UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to delay the Brexit deadline due to the coronavirus. However, the PM's spokesman insists that the withdrawal date of December 31, 2020 will not change. [BBC]
Health
After 180 more people in the UK died from the coronavirus, the number of COVID-19 deaths in the UK rose to 1,415. The UK now has over 22,000 cases of the virus. [The Independent]
Health experts suggest that the UK's COVID-19 death toll of 1,415 is only a conservative estimate of the total count as this only counts hospital deaths. On Tuesday, the Office for National Statistics will release data for England and Wales that counts deaths linked to coronavirus regardless of where the person died. However, given that there is a 2-3 week lag in officially registering a death, the true total is likely much higher. [The Telegraph]
Economy
Economists warn that Northern Ireland could lose up to 132,000 jobs if the current coronavirus restrictions remain in place until August. This accounts for 16.8% of the 784,140 jobs in the local economy. Consequently, it is projected that the economy could contract by roughly 10% over the course of 2020, which constitutes an economic depression, rather than a recession, and thus has wider, long-term impacts. [Belfast Telegraph]
Image Source: The Telegraph
Britain and Ireland in Review: March 31, 2020
Read more about the latest events from Britain and Ireland.
March 31, 2020
