Government sources fear that an increase in Covid cases on the Continent could prevent Brits from holidaying abroad this summer, and could even cause a “new wave” of infections in Britain. The Times has the story.
Scientific advisers and other senior figures are becoming extremely concerned by an increase in infections that is forcing some regions on the Continent back into lockdown. They fear a rise in cases here within weeks.
European holidays in May – and even in the summer – look doubtful. Scientists are wary of outbreaks of the South African variant in some European countries and some are calling for tougher travel restrictions.
Although the British data is heading in the right direction, with a record 660,276 vaccinations yesterday and the seven-day average of deaths falling below 100 for the first time since October, science advisers are urging caution.
A Government scientist warned there was a danger that travellers could bring back new variants of the virus that are less susceptible to vaccines.
Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Spi-M modelling group, told Today on Radio 4: “International travel this summer is, for the average holidaymaker, sadly I think, extremely unlikely. I think we are running a real risk if we do start to have lots of people going overseas in July and August because of the potential for bringing more of these new variants back into the country.”
“What is really dangerous is if we jeopardise our vaccination campaign by having these variants where the vaccines don’t work as effectively spreading more rapidly.”
Officials believe that an increase in Covid cases across Europe could also impact Britain’s vaccine rollout.
Rises in cases in France, Italy, Spain and Germany have prefigured similar trends in Britain several times over the pandemic. A surge in cases on the Continent is also likely to complicate Boris Johnson’s attempt to stop the European Union blocking exports of the Pfizer jab to Britain. He is hoping to recruit allies such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland to oppose Brussels, whose threats are backed by Germany, France and Italy.
This morning EU chief Ursula von der Leyen escalated the row over delayed shipments by threatening to halt exports of AstraZeneca vaccines if the bloc did not receive its deliveries first.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: A reader has pointed out the double standards in the Government’s approach to Covid testing. Why, if it’s so important to produce a negative test or to have had the vaccine before attending anything (schools included), is the Government not requiring people to take a test before getting the jab at vaccine centres (attended, until now, by those most vulnerable to Covid)?
If asymptomatic “cases” are numerous and serious – as NHS advertising still tells us they are – surely we would ALL be told to have a Covid test just before booking a vaccine slot (not just those who, for whatever reason, have recently had a test that has been positive)? Then, if positive, the we could self-isolate and wait for the recommended interval, rather than expose other people to possible infection and compromise their vaccine response.
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The unit in my part of Leeds is tinny, as in, “Can you spare anything for a tinny” or “Fetch us some tinnys”.
What’s “wine”, Toby?
I’ll be honest, this hasn’t attracted as many ups as I thought it would
Wrong crowd?
What part of Leeds is that?
Until the age of 9 we lived in Beeston, looking down on Elland Road – I have vivid memories of incomprehensible Celtic fans streaming past the end of our street – but my first pub was in the lower 6th in Ossett just before Christmas 77.
I would have said that this should be quite a long way down a long list of Brexit priorities. As most businesses, especially in Europe are geared for metric packaging, changing the unit size is going to be pretty pointless.
I think this might be Toby’s point…?!
“So… is this what Brexit has come down to?!”
Sadly, it was all so utterly predictable.
I am neither Remainer nor Brexiteer, by the way. The whole thing was completely pointless. Because the useful idiots in Strasbourg, Brussels et al and heck even the useful idiots in our own Houses are not the root of the problem.
Cameron thought all he had to do to get the Eurosceptics on his side was to offer a referendum, he never guessed it would go the way it did, because he is/was just another out of touch Eton Boy.
How very kind of those wonderful work from home civil servants to allow us to buy champers in pint bottles. I dare say this comes with “and that’s your lot” from those same civil servants.
That’s Brexit done.
Yep but whenever in the past did we drink “pints” of wine?
I dunno -according to this article, those whopping great glasses you get in pubs nowadays hold nearly half a litre, which is close to a pint in old money (if you’ll forgive the mixed metaphor). I’ve certainly seen nearly half a 75cl bottle go into a glass which is a bit excessive IMHO, but them I’m teetotal!
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/14/size-does-matter-wine-glasses-are-seven-times-larger-than-they-used-to-be
Yep but when did you hear anyone go up to a bar and say “eh 2 pints of lager and a pint of merlot please”? ———–I prefer everything to be in the old money as well (if you will pardon the mixed metaphors) but using wine in a pint glass is a bad example.
A gill of Merlot perhaps?
“A gill of Merlot perhaps?”
Somewhat giving away your age and roots.
Up North a “gill” typically referred to a half pint although youngsters these days cannot even understand the tem “gill.” The actual gill measure is five fluid ounces.
Up where I live it used to be “3 pund of tawties and a half loaf, ana packit of cheese an ingin”. —-(3 pounds of potatoes and a loaf of bread and a packet of cheese and onion crisps) ———In those days no one drank wine. Wine was for people on the Italian Riviera
That was my thought – most wine that was around pre EEC days was from France or Germany so basically the size that it is now. This is actually daft!
Wine pre-EEC – mucho, mucho pre, 18th, 19th Century pre – was shipped to Britain from France whence most of the wine came, in 50 gallon barrels…. which corresponded to 400 pints or 225 litres.
It was then bottled by wine merchants in Britain.
However. Things were sold in dozens and half dozens in Britain, and whereas 1 gallon would yield 8 pints, it was realised 1 gallon of wine could produce 6 equal measures, and 2 gallons 12 equal measures, which coincidentally equalled 375ml and 750ml respectively. Why wine is still sold in cases of six and twelve, despite metrication. Each barrel then could produce 25 dozen cases, or 50 half-dozen cases.
I gallon could also produce 8 pint bottles and pint bottles were commonly used in Britain for liquids, so it was possible for some merchants to sell in pints, perhaps to special order.
Ironically, that 19th Century British standard of 750ml became the standard adopted by Europeans which is why wines there are mostly sold based on that measure rather than litre or half-litre commonly used for other liquids.
I believe Churchill drunk champagne served out of pint bottles.
Pitt the Younger was “Advised to drink port every day for medical reasons, Pitt became a “three-bottle-a-day man”, and ended his life as an alcoholic.”
In the 18th century a bottle typically was a one pint measure.
Your answer may be found in history books or even novels.
Can anyone think of a more expensive or wasteful idea? I suspect that a pint bottle will cost more than a 750 (700?) ml bottle of proper wine, and you will have very little choice of cuve(accent). More “hold the masses” down! Rotten wine does come in Tinnies MAK, but few drink this stuff, it is awful!
It’s called ‘choice’. Not everyone’s choice coincides with yours.
As for cost: 500ml bottles already exist. They use less glass, and weighing less cost less to ship.
Yes Net Zero. Organic farming.
FFS! I don’t need a pint bottle of wine. It’s not bloody milk or beer. What is wrong with people??!! How utterly absurd. Should we change everything back to imperial measures just like the good old days when the sun never set on the British Empire? No. It’s effin’ ridiculous.
Well good, now you have established what your ‘needed’ are, how about other people’s needs – or don’t they count?
Why are you so bothered? You’re not a pint bottle wine entrepreneur by any chance are you?
A great opportunity for wine vendors who will price their new pint bottles of wine at around the same level as the old 750ml bottles, trusting that the average shopper won’t spot the difference.
Ever heard of competition?
LOL
Ever heard of ‘shrinkflation’?
“However, it remains to be seen what the demand will be for pint-sized wine bottles among producers and bottlers.”
What?
Isn’t it the demand from consumers that matters?
A pint (500ml near enough) of wine is a good measure. A whole bottle, if you are on your own is too much (although a challenge often met) and a half just not quite enough. So why just for sparkling wines?
I find that if a bottle is too much I can finish it the next day.
Or even the day after that.
“A whole bottle, if you are on your own is too much (although a challenge often met)”
A bottle is too much? I beg to differ. One bottle is simply half time.
What size bottles do US winemakers use for the home market?
All the bottles I remember buying in the SW were 750ml.
Wine from the US arrives here in 750ml bottles. Some of the cheap stuff might come in tankers.