UK firms must brace for virus hammer blow, experts warn 

UK firms must brace for virus hammer blow as tactics used during 2008 crash may not work, experts warn Many now fear the virus outbreak could deter investment and damage trading  Ministers have fewer options to fight back against a hit to consumer spending  The IFS urged the Chancellor to consider deferment of tax payments … Read more

Coronavirus patient tells relative ‘I’m going to spread the virus’ then goes on bar crawl in Japan

Coronavirus patient tells relative ‘I’m going to spread the virus’ then goes on bar crawl in Japanese city – before police in hazmats take him to hospital The man had coronavirus but showed no symptoms in Gamagori City, Japan Sent home by medics and told to self-isolate and would later be taken to hospital  He … Read more

We’re caught in virus crisis – how can we recover cash? 

If they ever bring back the TV programme Holidays From Hell, the start of this year would provide enough material for an entire series.  Quarantined hotels, stranded cruise ships, flight cancellations and then an airline (Flybe) going bust – and it’s not even spring. With coronavirus continuing to spread, people are increasingly reluctant to travel, … Read more

What will be in the 2020 Budget? Virus outbreak overshadows Sunak’s debut

An increasingly serious coronavirus outbreak and a surprise change of Chancellor have upended early predictions of what might be in the Budget next Wednesday. As the health threat mounts and overshadows many more mundane concerns, Rishi Sunak might be forced to tailor his speech around a crisis prevention strategy rather than post-election winning giveaways or … Read more

The soothing professor with poached-egg eyes: HENRY DEEDES on the man charged with defeating virus

They say scary times call for steady heads. Fortunately, Professor Chris Whitty is one weirdly cool hombre. For 90 minutes yesterday, England’s Chief Medical Officer answered questions from the Commons health committee on the coronavirus outbreak. No notes, no sprawling entourage. He didn’t so much as require a replenishing tumbler of Highland Spring as he … Read more

Dean Koontz’s 1981 thriller about a deadly virus from Wuhan is now a bestseller

A Dean Koontz thriller novel about a killer virus that started in Wuhan has become a bestseller amid rising fears over the spread of the deadly coronavirus.   Fans of the author insisted that his 1981 work The Eyes of Darkness, which describes a virus named ‘Wuhan-400’ after the Chinese city it originated in, predicted the outbreak of COVID-19, … Read more

Coronavirus ends the music: Mariah Carey becomes latest star to cancel show over virus threat

Mariah Carey is the latest music star to cancel gigs because of coronavirus and Glastonbury’s 50th anniversary festival in June could also be precarious, it was revealed today. Cultural events around the globe have been cancelled because of the virus reached pandemic levels, claiming 3,200-plus lives so far, amid warnings large public gathering could help the … Read more

Spain’s first coronavirus death: Man who travelled to Nepal died from the virus last MONTH

Spain’s first coronavirus death: Man who travelled to Nepal died from the virus last MONTH in a Valencia hospital, ‘retrospective investigation’ reveals Spanish health officials announced the country’s first death from coronavirus The virus was blamed for the death of a man on February 13 in a Valencia hospital Confirmation came after what was described … Read more

Top virus expert warns coronavirus has reached ‘pandemic proportions’

The coronavirus death toll in the U.S. has now climbed to six as the top infectious disease official in the country warned the disease had likely reached ‘pandemic proportions’.  Health officials announced on Monday that four additional people had died in Washington state. Two other patients in that same area died over the weekend.  Five of the … Read more

Workers avoid traditional greeting amid virus fears

The handshake is becoming a taboo greeting among professional workers as employees and clients fear the spread of coronavirus in the workplace. The hashtag StopShakingHands has been widely used on Twitter as the outbreak takes hold and Britons take steps to minimise the chances of catching the illness. In Germany, even Chancellor Angela Merkel was … Read more