Coronavirus news round-up for Friday, March 20.
•THE Chancellor is to unveil an emergency package aimed at protecting workers’ jobs and wages as they face hardship in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Rishi Sunak has been under pressure from Labour, unions and even senior Tory MPs to do more to help workers and the stalling economy weather the crisis.
He will reveal new measures on Friday at the daily Covid-19 press conference in Downing Street, where he is expected to be joined by Boris Johnson.
The Prime Minister said he expects the tide to be turned in the fight within 12 weeks, as he urged the public to follow social distancing advice and for businesses to "stand by your employees".
•FRONTLINEhealth and social care staff, people involved in food production and delivery, and utility workers are among a list of workers deemed "essential" to the Covid-19 response.
The Government published a list of "key workers" just after midnight on Friday - later than expected - whose children will continue to be cared for at school amid the coronavirus pandemic.
•IN the UK, the death toll from the virus reached 144 as of 1pm on Thursday, with around four in 10 of all deaths so far in London.
•BT is to remove all caps on home broadband plans to give customers unlimited data while working from home or self-isolating.
•NETFLIX has said it will temporarily reduce the quality of videos on its platform to ease pressure on internet service providers during the coronavirus outbreak.
The platform, which is home to shows including Stranger Things and The Crown, will drop the video bit rate for 30 days, following calls from the EU’s European Commissioner for internal market Thierry Breton.
It comes as people in the UK resort to working from home and self-isolation, while other parts of Europe are subject to lockdowns.
The streaming service confirmed to the PA news agency that the measures include the UK.
Netflix expects the move to cut its European traffic by about 25 per cent but assured users they will still be able to deliver a "good quality service".
•A MAN could face jail or a large fine after being arrested on the Isle of Man for failing to follow its coronavirus self-isolation rules.
The detention of the man, reportedly aged 26, came after the Crown dependency’s Government announced earlier this week that everyone arriving on the island must self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of whether they have symptoms.
Chief Minister Howard Quayle said anyone breaching the quarantine regulations could face a fine up to £10,000 or three months in jail.
•THE competition watchdog has said it will clamp down on retailers using the coronavirus outbreak as an opportunity to exploit customers.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the outbreak has prompted concerns that people could be exploited by companies "charging excessive prices or making misleading claims about their products".
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