Coronavirus Update

Questions the delay in making face masks mandatory despite early warnings about airborne transmission and asymptomatic cases. Criticises mixed messaging from ministers regarding returning to offices, metrics for easing Leicester's lockdown, support for businesses, testing data requirements, and winter funding for NHS.

Hunt praised the Health Secretary for his resilience but expressed concern about winter preparedness, citing a report predicting an increase in daily covid cases. He asked what plans are to ramp up testing and tracing before winter.

Day thanked Hancock for the statement, noting it represents a step towards preparing for potential new coronavirus infections in winter. He questioned the consistent public messaging on face coverings and urged for an elimination strategy.

Holden praised Hancock, noting reduced death rates across the country. He asked how many people have been tracked and traced to boost confidence in local outbreaks.

Winter compared England's adjusted age-standardised death toll with Wales, questioning the disparity and asking for lessons learned from Welsh Government’s response in preparation for further local outbreaks.

Bone asked why the new policy on face coverings was announced in the media before Parliament.

Saville-Roberts called for a rapid review to prepare for winter, not to blame but to implement lessons learned before winter.

Responded to concerns about test and trace system, emphasised the importance of public health measures and cooperation across the UK. He stated that the Government is reviewing sick pay issues, promoting early intervention for health inequalities, sharing detailed data with local authorities, enhancing procurement resilience within NHS, addressing long-term impacts of coronavirus, supporting initiatives like 'chase the rainbow' cards for people with invisible disabilities, and encouraging use of telemedicine and 111 services.

Asked if the Secretary of State would look at sick pay issues for those who need to self-isolate due to local lockdowns. She highlighted the financial dilemma faced by individuals and emphasised the importance of supporting people during isolation.

Emphasised the impact of coronavirus on those with underlying health conditions or living in areas of deprivation. He called for a move towards early intervention to address health inequalities and suggested that this should be part of a long-term legacy from the pandemic.

Called for more transparency in public health data, specifically household-level data on infections. She also requested that weekly cases information be published at constituency or town level to provide a clearer picture of local outbreaks.

Praised the residents of Scarborough and Whitby for adhering to social distancing guidelines, resulting in no infections since June. He highlighted the success of their approach as an example of effective public health measures.

Asked about efforts to enhance procurement resilience within NHS and ensure that British companies receive orders for PPE, rather than relying on China. He highlighted the importance of supporting domestic manufacturers in this context.

Highlighted concerns about long-term impacts of coronavirus and asked what steps were being taken to address these issues, including provision of tailored healthcare services for those affected by long-term sequelae.

Acknowledged technical difficulties with one member's speech but ensured it would be addressed later in the debate. He facilitated smoother flow of discussion between speakers.

Celebrated Hannah Kelsall’s initiative to develop 'chase the rainbow' cards for people with disabilities who may be exempt from wearing face masks. She called for an end to confrontations and challenges faced by those with invisible disabilities.

Asked about the 'NHS is open' campaign, urging the Secretary of State to ensure people in Dudley are aware that they can seek medical help and emphasised the importance of public awareness campaigns.

Called for a more integrated approach to testing, tracing and outbreak management. She criticised the current system for treating these areas separately and urged reallocation of resources towards an interconnected strategy.

Asked what local lockdowns might look like if there were a local outbreak in Cornwall during summer. He wanted clarity on the potential measures that would be implemented and their impact on residents and holidaymakers.

Asked the Health Secretary about stress-testing PPE supply chain and providing free PPE to adult social care ahead of a second wave.

Stated that the government is working to ensure readiness for winter by stress-testing PPE delivery and rebuilding stockpiles, exempting health and social care staff from the immigration health surcharge, considering additional funding for respite services for carers, emphasising the importance of face masks alongside other measures like social distancing.

Welcomed the Government’s announcement about exemption to the health surcharge for health and social care staff but asked for clarification on how to ensure all social care workers are exempt.

Asked if additional funding would be allocated to respite services for carers who have been caring intensively without a break for 15 weeks.

Reiterated the importance of face coverings as part of broader measures like social distancing and asked if wearing a face covering is not a substitute for social distancing.

Asked when changes would be made to guidance that allowed people to die needlessly in care homes while Nightingales sat empty.

Asked for assurance that the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust and the two clinical commissioning groups will have additional resources to meet a backlog of cases caused by the pandemic.

Called on the Secretary of State to look into putting more investment towards ensuring that anti-vax sites are tackled as they make money from supporting and advertising these sites.

Asked for clarification about why weddings have different limits compared to restaurants despite both allowing for social distancing.

Asked the Secretary of State why it has taken so long to make mandatory face masks in retail and asked about the reported implementation date.

Questioned the enforcement measures regarding mandatory face masks in shops.

Wirral Council has recognised the importance of care workers by making funding available for providers to pay them the real living wage, though this is not mandatory. The Government have taken £7.7 billion out of adult social care budgets since 2010 and she urges them to fund social care properly.

Proudly supports the introduction of the living wage, stating it has had a bigger impact on care workers’ salaries than in almost any other sector. He also addresses lifting mandatory face masks based on virus spread and risk level.

Pays tribute to the Secretary of State for driving down infections and asks about criteria for lifting mandatory face masks while shopping.

Critiques the delay in data processing and the lack of local control in test, track and trace systems. Questions why the Secretary of State does not trust local NHS labs.

Asks about sepsis-related deaths in hospitals during the pandemic and questions if data is granular enough to identify modes of death for patients. Also asks if the Government will support NHS decisions during challenging times.

Raises concerns about long-term health threats from coronavirus, citing Italian doctors and urging the Secretary of State to listen to this advice.

Praises King’s Mill Hospital for its improvement in rating and provision of care during the pandemic. Requests a visit from the Secretary of State.

Asks about PPE supply to dental care centres and urges the Government to legislate for occupational sick pay for social care workers reflecting their work during the pandemic.

Inquires about progress with vaccine trials in the UK, noting Kate Bingham's leadership of the vaccines taskforce.

Asks for an independent body to conduct a review of the Government’s response to covid-19 to prevent future mistakes.

Questions if similar measures to those applied in shops, such as mandatory face masks, may be required in pubs and bars.

Stated that the government does not anticipate implementing a specific proposal at this point but is keeping all options under review. He mentioned bringing in measures on public transport and in the NHS last month, indicating similar approaches will be taken in chunks moving forward.

Asked about long-term rehabilitation needs for people who have suffered brain injury-like conditions due to covid. He highlighted the need for comprehensive support and questioned whether the Secretary of State will ensure that rehabilitation services are in place for those affected by both covid and other causes.

Asked why asymptomatic workers in hospitals were not being tested weekly, as they are in care homes. He pointed out the inconsistency between testing policies for different healthcare settings.