england trail 3 0 in the series, with one test to play. hello and welcome if you re watching in the uk or around the world. england s education secretary, nadhim zahawi, has backed cutting the covid isolation period in england from seven to five days. he said if there s evidence it s safe, the change could reduce staffing pressures on schools, hospitals and other important sectors. the uk health security agency is reviewing the length of the isolation period. mr zahawi said ministers are doing all they can to make sure the health service can operate during what he called a rocky few weeks . our political correspondent jonathan blake is with me. tell us more about what he said. there is a couple of main points to
yeah. 0k. well, that s just as well, because we really need the bed. um, and also there s a national level four pandemic alert that s gone out. so, we re preparing ourselves for a possible influx. annette s on her way home. she has someone there to help her manage. but other patients are stuck here. the hospital can t always discharge those who need care in the community or in a care home as soon as they are medically fit to go. beds in social care are gold dust, and we have to treat them as if they re very precious. we ve seen staffing pressures in social care. we ve seen some social care providers drop out of the market. so we know that potentially this could become a very scarce commodity.
from former yorkshire player azeem rafeeq. we will be speaking to him after 7.00. a shorter self isolation period in england. businesses hope going from seven to five full days will ease staffing pressures. some companies are also changing their sick pay rules for the unvaccinated. i ll have all the details. and i ll tell you about the weather. good morning. it s friday 14th january. our main story staff at downing street have been accused of holding two leaving parties inside number ten on the eve of the duke of edinburgh s funeral last april. restrictions in england at the time banned indoor mixing between different households. it comes as the prime minister continues to face calls for his resignation
services are coping using the bbc nhs tracker for emergency treatment. it allows you to find out how your local services are coping this winter, and how that compares to the situation before the pandemic. a teachers union is warning that schools are teetering on the edge , with significant staff absences recorded in english primary schools on the first day of term. the department for education says it s supporting schools to keep pupils in the classroom by encouraging former teachers to step in, along with extending the covid workforce fund for those facing the greatest staffing pressures. some older pupils in england are refusing to take lateral flow tests and wear face coverings in classrooms as they head back to school according to both parents and children. charities say they are worried about the effects on vulnerable students of this advice being ignored. however, other parents say masks impact on their children s learning. let s talk to becky arnold. she s the head of framin
i had two lung collapses, they brought me back twice. adam and jade, who run the ward, say staffing pressures are creating added stress. we ve had quite acute staff shortages, a lot of staff off sick and isolating. patient wise, i think the numbers are increasing, but currently, we re not at full capacity yet. it sjust sort of the fear of the unknown. you don t know which way it s going to go. even though right now it feels slightly better than it did this time last year. so, what might happen now? there was a chance to find out more at the downing street briefing. would you say it s now unlikely or highly unlikely that further restrictions will be introduced in england? i would say we have a good chance of getting through the omicron wave without the need for further restrictions and without the need, certainly, for a lockdown.