The UK is still being hampered by shortages of staff due to Covid. Rail operators are warning about delays ahead of Christmas and cancelling trains.
Rail companies have warned of delays and cancellations as millions of Britons travel to see their loved ones over the Christmas holidays.
Long distance rail services are among those most impacted, while Transport for London warns that around 500 of its frontline staff are currently off work due to a Covid-related illness.
Today, doctors are warning about staffing shortages in hospitals because of a significant increase in Covid cases.
The Intensive Care Society’s Professor Rupert Pears was an intensive care consultant who gave a harsh reality check on the effects of Covid’s impact on the NHS. He warned that hospitals would face a’very serious’ shortage in staff over Christmas.
This warning about staff shortages will increase pressure on Government officials to modify isolation rules in order to reduce the time that people positive for Covid can remain home.
Yesterday’s ministers discussed slashing this period from 10 days down to seven to help Britain get through Christmas.
Covid development:
- The NHS gave a million Covid jabs in a single day for the first time, while a booster of the Moderna vaccine increases antibodies against Omicron by 37-fold, its makers said;
- Another 91 743 cases were confirmed, although 44 deaths occurred and admissions to hospitals continued to decline.
- Ministers expressed concern over the rise of Covid patients in London, while Nicola Sturgeon granted Scots permission to plan their Christmas Day.
- London’s New Year’s Eve celebration event in Trafalgar Square was axed;
- The ‘lockdown by stealth’ forced major tourist attractions, pubs and restaurants to close down;
- Hospitality bosses called on Mr Sunak to ‘get his act together’ and provide support for the embattled sector;
- Top GPs supported calls for reducing the quarantine time of coronavirus cases to ten to seven day;
- Families who lost loved ones in the pandemic condemned the picture, taken during last year’s lockdown.
Railway companies announced cancellations as millions of Britons get ready to return home from Christmas.
It comes as the rail firm LNER, which operates services out of London to cities such as Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh, revealed it had taken out 16 trains a day until 24 Christmas due to ‘an increased level of absence in drivers and train managers due to coronavirus’.
A rail operator stated that it might have to cancel additional cancellations in short notice because of staffing concerns.
Avanti West Coast trains run between London and Scotland. It said the services could be subject to’short-notice cancellations, alterations, and changes due to Covid-19 impact on train crew availability.
TransPennine Express, Northern and Southern Express are also available to notify of cancellations and delays.
Professor Pears spoke about the effects positive Covid cases have on London hospitals and how isolation has already had an impact.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: ‘We know when Covid cases rise, hospital admissions lag behind that rise by about seven to ten days, ICU admissions a couple of days after that and deaths beyond.
“If hospital admissions continue to increase, the chance to make any changes is lost. It’s over and it is too late.
“This is not about Covid. This is something I continue to repeat over and over. It isn’t just about Covid.
“The greater our Covid-care coverage, the more we have in our healthcare system for other services that keep us safe.
It doesn’t matter if you get hit by a bus or are having your cancer surgery. This is because healthcare right now is not as accessible.
“We know someone who has tested positive for Covid. Even if the person doesn’t show symptoms, it can still be a hassle to figure out what to do.
Healthcare workers can return to work under different conditions. This includes daily testing using lateral flow test.
“We have staffing rules, but it is not possible to send people back. We will still have severe staffing issues over Christmas.”
This comes just as Covid-related staff shortages yesterday caused huge disruption to airline passengers and shut down attractions. It also resulted in one the country’s most well-known television shows being removed from air, sparking fears about missed bin collections.
Today’s chaos at Heathrow Airport has been caused by staff shortages at BA. These are attributed to Covid and self isolation rules.
Combining weather-enforced delays with flight cancellations has led to long queues at borders and an avalanche of bags reclaim.
Today, Boris Johnson delayed his decision to impose new coronavirus restrictions. Furious Tory MPs asked the Prime Minister to tell the nation whether people could continue with Christmas plans.
This afternoon, the PM called an emergency Cabinet meeting to determine if additional measures were needed to stop the Omicron variant spreading.
According to reports, however, no final decision was made at this meeting. This means that it is unlikely further restrictions are implemented prior to Christmas.
Today’s closures of London’s Natural History Museum, Edinburgh Castle and London Castle were due to increased Covid cases.
AlsoITV has announced in a shocking move that Good Morning Britain, its flagship programme, was cancelled between Christmas Eve and New Years.
According to channel bosses, there won’t be any episodes of the morning show between Friday, December 29, and Wednesday, December 31, ‘due the pandemic’.
There have been several West End productions, such as the Lion King and Wicked, which were cancelled! Covid has also forced them to cancel performances before Christmas due to cast members and crew members being positive.
Royal Mail Chiefs warn of possible delays in postal services this Christmas. Councils worry about disruptions to bin services during the holiday period because of Covid-related staffing problems.
Ministers consider reducing the time that people with positive Covid results are quarantined from 10 to 7 days.
Experts in health, business leaders, and MPs have called for changes, warning that current regulations could cause serious damage to healthcare and economy.
Yesterday’s confirmed cases rose nearly 50% to 37,000 yesterday in less than 24 hours. London was the hardest-hit region, prompting Sadiq Khan, the mayor of the city to declare a “major incident”.
Brighton and Hove City Council is concerned that bin collections could be delayed or even reversed due to the high volume of trash and recycling during Christmas and New year. Pictured is a library photo from earlier in the year when there was a bin strike.
ITV has announced today that it will cancel its flagship program Good Morning Britain, which airs between Christmas Eve and the New Year in an unusual move
This is because of an increase in Covid cases within staff at London’s Natural History Museum and Edinburgh Castle.
BA passengers today face chaos in Heathrow Airport’s pre-Christmas travel. They are facing cancelled flights, long queues at Border and an ocean of luggage that has been left behind at baggage claim.
According to figures released by the UKHSA, Omicron cases in England rose 69% over the previous day. They went up from 9,427 to 23,168.
The announcement comes just as ITV made plans to cancel GMB’s Christmas live broadcasts due to Covid concerns. This show has been on ITV weekday mornings since 2014. It was to be broadcast from Christmas through New Year.
But yesterday bosses announced they had decided to pull the mid-Christmas shows. The announcement is made just days after Sean Fletcher tested positive for Covid.
A spokesperson for ITV told MailOnline: ‘GMB was due to be on air from Wednesday 29 December to Friday 31 December but due to the pandemic and to protect our teams, we have decided to give them an extended break.
Next week’s broadcast of ‘GMB’ will not be carried. The program will be rebroadcast on Tuesday, January 4, 2022.
The Sun reports that staff have agreed to “gingerly soldier on” until the broadcasts are completed.
The show’s regular hosts, Susanna Reid, Charlotte Hawkins, and Kate Garroway, and its temporary anchors AdilRay and Richard Madeley were reportedly asked to do their makeup.
It will also have strict controls over who can enter and what they cannot. The GMB set is located at Television Studios White City in London.
According to a TV source, the Sun was told by a television expert that it is not common for a show’s flagship program to go dark.
“It only shows how alarming everyone is on both the show and within the network.
“We even broadcast during the peak of the pandemic. But lately, it’s almost impossible due to staff shortages and concerns about Christmas being derail for everyone.
Pre-Christmas programs will continue, and the Christmas Day episode which was pre-recorded will be also broadcast.
Five national attractions were forced to shut down due to the increase in Covid cases. South Kensington’s Natural History Museum will remain closed starting Tuesday due to an “unforeseen staff shortage”.
The Natural History Museum in London, which is the second-most visited museum in Britain, stated that it will remain closed at most for a week.
They will also close the National Army Museum, Euston Wellcome collection and Bloomsbury Foundling Museum.
While the British Museum will still be open, they have warned that some galleries could close quickly.
The West End’s performance of Disney’s The Lion King at the Lyceum will be halted from Tuesday through Boxing Day. The move was announced on Twitter by a statement stating that the decision was made due to “Covid-enforced absents in our cast and crew”.
Wicked will no longer be shown at Apollo Victoria. Preview performances at Piccadilly Theatre of Moulin Rouge! have been cancelled Monday through Thursday.
Cabaret At the Kit Kat Club with Eddie Redmayne & Jessie Buckley was cancelled last week. More cancellations were announced Monday.
Authorities warn that waste collection and recycling could be disrupted during the holiday season. Councils have already reported an increase in sick people.
Brighton and Hove City Council warns that the Christmas and New year’s waste and recycling volume could lead to bin collections falling behind or being delayed.
According to the council, managers have been hard at work recruiting agency staff to back them up and offer overtime to unaffected employees in an effort to maintain service full-time.
Hampshire’s Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council announced that there would be no change to the bin collection schedule for this year. But the authority cautioned that bin rounds could be affected by staffing problems.
Steve Davis, councillor and co-chairman of the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee, said to the Brighton Argus that all Cityclean employees worked hard during the pandemic, in any weather and under any conditions.
We thought that we would see the end of Covid’s worst effects, but it is still spreading and taking hold.
“We want to be open with you and tell you that there are likely to be missed or delayed collections. However, we ask for your patience as we do the best in all circumstances.
Hampshire’s Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council stated that there would be no change to the bin collection this year.
The authority did warn that staffing problems could affect the bin round. The council posted on Twitter: “Unless adverse weather and staffing problems affect bin rounds this year there will not be any changes to bin collections days. So put your bin, along with extra garbage or recycling bags out on your regular day.
Royal Mail has warned its customers today that six-day delivery may be halted in certain areas before Christmas due to Covid.
The West End’s performance of Disney’s The Lion King at the Lyceum will be halted from Tuesday through Boxing Day. The move was announced on Twitter by a statement stating that the decision was made due to “Covid-enforced absentees in our cast and crew”.
Wicked, (pictured: Library photo) was cancelled Tuesday. Moulin Rouge! performances at Piccadilly Theatre were cancelled Monday through Thursday.
Wicked was cancelled at the Apollo Victoria on Tuesday. Meanwhile, preview performances at Moulin Rouge! at Piccadilly Theatre have been canceled from Monday to Thursday.
The West End’s performance of Disney’s The Lion King at the Lyceum will be halted from Tuesday through Boxing Day. The move was announced on Twitter by a statement stating that the decision was made due to “Covid-enforced absentees in our cast and crew”.
Post firm warned last week of possible disruptions to delivery in Bristol, Exeter and Chelmsford as a result of shortages of staff members and increased workload.
MailOnline spoke to a representative of Royal Mail today, stating that deliveries are normal throughout most parts of the country. Six days per week, we aim to deliver mail to every address that we have.
“In some local offices, this might not be possible temporarily due to local issues like COVID-related Self-Isolation, higher-than-usual levels of sick absence or other factors.
“We offer targeted support for the local offices that are affected by these problems and we apologize to our customers.
“Our employees continue to work extremely hard just like they have throughout the pandemic. Their determination and hard work during the most hectic time of the year is a credit to us.
This comes after delays at Heathrow were again experienced yesterday, and BA chiefs blamed fog Sunday morning for causing flight cancellations.
According to airline bosses, bad visibility caused delays and cancellations that left many flights delayed throughout the day as well as into the night.
They claim that this was due to Covid-related sicknesses and the isolation of staff.
MailOnline learned that delays caused by the delay became so serious at one point, that some passengers were asked to get home and drop their luggage at the airport. BA staff would then collect it and deliver it to them.
Unclaimed baggage piled up along the conveyor belts. It was then pulled together and taken to safety.
Amazing photos and videos show suitcases left unattended on conveyor belts in Terminal 5 at Heathrow. One passenger described it as “complete chaos”.
Today, at least six BA flight from west London were cancelled. Pictures show the long line of people queuing up for Border Control at Heathrow. The delays were blamed by BA chiefs on a mix of fog and shortages in staff due to Covid.
Heathrow Passenger took to Twitter to upload photos of Heathrow Passengers queuing for Passport Control.
Yesterday, Nicola Woods was one of the passengers who passed through the airport. Woods was traveling from Heathrow and Edinburgh. Many flights were cancelled.
“My flight was supposed to depart at 6.30pm, but it was delayed and pushed back. So my flight didn’t depart until 8.30pm.
“Once our plane landed, it was informed to us that all of our luggage had not been loaded onboard.
“The next passenger to me was on a flight from Inverness to Edinburgh and had cancelled his ticket. He had planned to get on the train and then pick up his car to drive home.
“Still no word yet from BA about when we can expect our cases.”
MailOnline was informed by some passengers that their luggage had gone missing. Last night, a passenger flying into Heathrow shared his experiences via Twitter.
Jack Lawrence, a biomedical science masters student, wrote on TwitterFor those who have had their flights cancelled, there are long lines at the airport.
“Apparently all luggage of cancelled flights is being placed on one luggage conveyor.” British airlines is suggesting that people return home to file a claim for missing luggage because of the chaos caused by bags from both cancelled and real flights.
Some others described the scene as being in ‘complete chaos. Natalia Kaliada stated on Twitter that there was complete chaos at Heathrow. It took a lot of time to get the luggage.
“No system is in place. It is strongly recommended that people leave their bags behind. “Christmas Vibe!”
One passenger commented: “BA-Just started our honeymoon and our luggage is stuck at Heathrow. The customer service telephone line is not available and the missing bags reporting system won’t allow us to log a report on one bag.
BA Flights to Malaga and Barcelona from Heathrow were cancelled today.
The UK has cancelled one flight to Germany yesterday after imposing a travel ban.
MailOnline received a statement from BA stating that it had apologized to passengers whose flights were cancelled by operational constraints.
Amazing photos and videos show the chaos of many suitcases left unattended at Heathrow Terminal 5’s Terminal 5. One passenger described it as “complete chaos”.
Some passengers received the option to leave their baggage at home, and then have them sent it to their residence. This was an alternative to waiting in long lines to receive their bags.
At least six BA flights departing from London’s west-London airport were cancelled today. Photos show the long queues of passengers waiting at Heathrow Passport Control. This is being operated by UK Border Force.
BA leaders blame fog and staffing problems due to Covid, for bag delays. But they said their staff is working hard to correct the problem.
Heathrow, however, says that the baggage at Terminal 5 (which is used exclusively by BA and Iberia) is BA’s responsibility.
It’s Christmas time, and tens of thousands are making their way across the Atlantic to see their family for the holiday.
It also comes as passengers into Manchester Airport yesterday faced delays of up to three hours in crammed lines for more than three hours with ‘no social distancing or air conditioning’.
“Our staff works extremely hard to help customers get rebooked as soon as possible.
Border Control also reported delays, as photos last night showed long lines at passport control.
One passenger said, “Heathrow Airport should get its pants up.” It’s chaos.’
Border Control falls under Border Force. They have been contacted to comment. Heathrow stated that Terminal 5 issues were caused by individual airlines.
Passengers flying to Spain from Manchester Airport were made to wait for over three hours in line with “no social disruption or air conditioning”.
Ian Gold and his wife, along with their daughters, were scheduled to fly together but due to an ‘infuriating’ situation at the Airport their flight was delayed.
According to him, seven out of the ten security gates had been closed while only one boarding card was opened. This resulted in queues that grew and grew up to over 1,000.
Gold said that staff shortages were the root cause of the problem and claimed people in the line are talking about the cuts made to the airport.
Manchester Airport lost 500 workers to redundancy during the last twelve months because of falling passenger numbers and associated travel restrictions.
MailOnline received a statement from the airport stating that longer security lines are due to an ‘exceedingly high number of passengers’ and higher staff absences.