Page 18 - Lucy Hooker News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

BBC News By Dearbail Jordan & Lucy Hooker Business reporter, BBC News image copyrightGetty Images So-called "freedom day" has finally dawned in England, and gone is the legal requirement to wear face masks to help stop the spread of Covid. The government has said it "expects and recommends" people continue wearing a face covering in enclosed spaces. But if businesses want customers or passengers to use a mask, it is now up to companies to get people to comply. Or, more specifically, it will be their employees who will have to ask the public to wear a face covering. Some businesses, such as Te...

BBC News By Lucy Hooker image copyrightGetty Images Employers will have to shoulder more of the costs of furlough from Thursday as the government starts to wind down its flagship job support scheme. With about 1.5 million workers still on furlough, the change will affect thousands of firms across the country. Staff will continue to receive 80% of their wages, but employers will pay part of that for the first time. That could prompt layoffs, with older workers at greater risk of redundancy, according to one think tank. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said the bill for employers keeping a memb...

BBC News By Lucy Hooker image copyrightGetty Images Monday sees another milestone in the reopening of the economy: people in most of the UK will be able to go to a bar or restaurant and eat indoors. But some favourite haunts will no longer be there: over the last year, thousands of establishments have closed, latest surveys indicate. Across Britain, there are 9.7% fewer restaurants to choose from, compared with before the pandemic. And mid-market "casual dining" venues have fallen by 19.4%. The data in the latest Market Recovery Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners suggests that while many pubs ...

BBC News By Lucy Hooker image copyrightGetty Images For over a year anyone who has been able to, has been asked to do their job from home. And for many that has meant a whole catalogue of challenges from fitting work around home schooling to shooing the cat off your keyboard. While there was money to be saved on bus fares, the heating bill has gone up. And while the pressure was off to wash your hair, it's been lonely at times too. So with many offices now gradually inviting staff back, we wanted to know how people are feeling about the return.

BBC News By Lucy Hooker image captionBiju Mathew flew from Kochi via Mumbai and Frankfurt to beat the Friday deadline When Biju Mathew heard that India was going onto the UK's travel red list, he leapt into action. "I couldn't afford to stay away," he says. "I had to get back to work." The social services manager from Walsall, UK, who was in India visiting family, began ringing local travel agents in attempt to beat the Friday deadline. From Friday 04:00 BST, most travellers who have been to India in the last 10 days will be refused entry to the UK unless they hold UK passports or residence r...