• Commuters at Waterloo station in London. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appealed for resolve and a “spirit of togetherness” through the winter as he unveiled new restrictions. AP Photo
    Commuters at Waterloo station in London. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appealed for resolve and a “spirit of togetherness” through the winter as he unveiled new restrictions. AP Photo
  • People board a bus outside Waterloo station in London. AP Photo
    People board a bus outside Waterloo station in London. AP Photo
  • People wearing protective face masks make their way through Waterloo station during the morning rush hour on Wednesday morning. Reuters
    People wearing protective face masks make their way through Waterloo station during the morning rush hour on Wednesday morning. Reuters
  • Children of keyworkers at Sheringham Primary School, Norfolk created this huge rainbow for the NHS on their playground. Some of the children's parents are nurses who have been working on the Covid ward at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital
    Children of keyworkers at Sheringham Primary School, Norfolk created this huge rainbow for the NHS on their playground. Some of the children's parents are nurses who have been working on the Covid ward at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital
  • NHS workers react at the Royal London Hospital during the last day of the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. Reuters
    NHS workers react at the Royal London Hospital during the last day of the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. Reuters
  • Employees make NHS uniforms at a factory in Dukinfield, Britain. The coronavirus pandemic has made the need to address the rapidly ageing workforce more urgent. Reuters
    Employees make NHS uniforms at a factory in Dukinfield, Britain. The coronavirus pandemic has made the need to address the rapidly ageing workforce more urgent. Reuters
  • NHS workers wearing personal protective equipment as UK releases latest coronavirus data. Oli SCARFF / AFP
    NHS workers wearing personal protective equipment as UK releases latest coronavirus data. Oli SCARFF / AFP
  • A woman wearing a protective face mask walks past a closed theatre, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in London. Reuters
    A woman wearing a protective face mask walks past a closed theatre, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in London. Reuters
  • Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock launches review into how coronavirus affects ethnic minorities. AFP
    Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock launches review into how coronavirus affects ethnic minorities. AFP
  • Captain Sir Tom Moore beat his original target of raising £1,000. Reuters
    Captain Sir Tom Moore beat his original target of raising £1,000. Reuters
  • A pedestrian passes the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters office building, centre, in the Canary Wharf business, financial and shopping district of London, UK Bloomberg
    A pedestrian passes the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters office building, centre, in the Canary Wharf business, financial and shopping district of London, UK Bloomberg
  • British Airways will retire its Boeing 747 fleet immediately due to a drop in demand from the coronavirus pandemic. Courtesy British Airways
    British Airways will retire its Boeing 747 fleet immediately due to a drop in demand from the coronavirus pandemic. Courtesy British Airways
  • The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak's 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme has been successful. EPA
    The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak's 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme has been successful. EPA
  • A man wearing a facemask walks across London Bridge. The OECD area economy contracted a record 9.8% in the second quarter of 2020. AFP
    A man wearing a facemask walks across London Bridge. The OECD area economy contracted a record 9.8% in the second quarter of 2020. AFP
  • Stay-at-home orders wiped out 20 per cent of the British economy in the first half of 2020. AFP
    Stay-at-home orders wiped out 20 per cent of the British economy in the first half of 2020. AFP
  • A social distancing sign in Oxford Street, London, usually one of the country's busiest shopping streets. Reuters
    A social distancing sign in Oxford Street, London, usually one of the country's busiest shopping streets. Reuters
  • Commuters walk over London bridge during the morning rush hour, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in London. Reuters
    Commuters walk over London bridge during the morning rush hour, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in London. Reuters
  • Empty shelves from a Sainsbury's supermarket in London, UK, as shoppers in the British capital stockpile goods in advance of strict lockdown measures to fight coronavirus. Emma Sky for The National
    Empty shelves from a Sainsbury's supermarket in London, UK, as shoppers in the British capital stockpile goods in advance of strict lockdown measures to fight coronavirus. Emma Sky for The National
  • The UK is still under a virtual lockdown. Reuters
    The UK is still under a virtual lockdown. Reuters
  • Deserted streets in Cambridge amid the UK's coronavirus lockdown. Reuters
    Deserted streets in Cambridge amid the UK's coronavirus lockdown. Reuters
  • Minsters have condemned UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to abolish the Department for International Development on Tuesday. AFP
    Minsters have condemned UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to abolish the Department for International Development on Tuesday. AFP
  • People queue at a walk in Covid-19 testing centre in Bolton, England. Fears about rising infection rates among younger people across the UK has forced the government into tighter lockdown restrictions. Getty
    People queue at a walk in Covid-19 testing centre in Bolton, England. Fears about rising infection rates among younger people across the UK has forced the government into tighter lockdown restrictions. Getty
  • Cars queue for Covid-19 drive-in testing centre in Bolton, England. Fears about rising infection rates among younger people across the UK has forced the government into tighter lockdown restrictions. Getty
    Cars queue for Covid-19 drive-in testing centre in Bolton, England. Fears about rising infection rates among younger people across the UK has forced the government into tighter lockdown restrictions. Getty
  • A person is detained during a demonstration in Trafalgar Square against the lockdown imposed by the government, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London,. Reuters
    A person is detained during a demonstration in Trafalgar Square against the lockdown imposed by the government, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London,. Reuters

Seven charts that show the impact of coronavirus on the UK


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Britain's Finance Minister, Rishi Sunak, on Thursday unveiled new measures to mitigate the economic impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus on the UK.

They included wage subsidies, extended loans for businesses and more VAT assistance.

But Mr Sunak stopped short of extending the furlough scheme, saying the economy must prepare for a “more permanent adjustment”.

Britain has already delivered more than £190 million ($242.2m) in economic support, Mr Sunak said.

That level of spending led UK public sector debt to exceed GDP for the first time since 1960.

Coronavirus has wrought significant damage on the UK economy. Between February and April GDP plunged 25 per cent and almost all sectors were badly hit as lockdown ground life to a halt.

This chart shows which sectors of the economy were worst affected, with accommodation and food services plunging 90 per cent between Feb and April.

Unsurprisingly, one sector that has gone against the trend is pharmaceuticals, which has grown 10 per cent since February as the world races to create a Covid-19 vaccine and find effective treatments in the meantime.

Covid-19’s deadliness has been disproportionately felt in the UK which, at the end of July, suffered the most excess deaths in Europe, the Office for National Statistics said.

Excess mortality is a measure of how many more people died during a certain period than would be expected under normal circumstances.

Covid-related mortality in England and Wales peaked at more than the twice the normal number of deaths in April.

A leaked government report also revealed fears that a second wave in the UK could mean more than 85,000 Covid-19 deaths over winter.

If this happened, it would seem likely that once again the UK government had failed to put a protective ring around care homes.

The statistics office reported that between March 2 and May 1, there were 12,526 suspected Covid deaths among people living in care homes in England and Wales.

The Lancet medical journal reported that in an average year during March and April, the two countries see about 20,000 fewer deaths than were recorded this year.

Covid-19 in care homes is particularly lethal given the age and relative poor health of their residents.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson provoked fury in March after he accused care homes of failing to follow proper procedures.

Nadra Ahmed, chair of the National Care Association, called Mr Johnson's remarks a “huge slap in the face for a sector that looks after a million vulnerable people”.

This chart shows that there were more Covid-related deaths in care homes and private homes than in hospitals, which were far better protected.

No aspect of the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis has been criticised more harshly than its testing and tracing strategy.

Conducting as many tests as possible and tracing the contacts of people found to have the virus was a key recommendation of the World Health Organisation since the first weeks of the outbreak.

But Britain has struggled to meet demand for testing and to make the most of its laboratory capacity, as this chart shows.

Whilst the government’s overall response to coronavirus has been widely condemned, Mr Sunak has evaded most of the harshest criticism.

Thefiscal measures he introduced were well received by business and much of the public, who were also wooed by his smooth style and penchant for nifty slogans.

The most headline-grabbing initiative was the coronavirus jobs retention scheme, more commonly known as the furlough scheme, estimated to cost about £14 billion a month.

Incredibly, almost a third of jobs have been furloughed at some point, with young people the most affected.

Of those lucky enough to keep their jobs, there has been one major change in coronavirus Britain: the rise of working from home.

The trend has led many to predict the end of the office, a phenomenon explored in depth in this special report from The National.

How we work at home as also been the topic of much debate. This chart reveals that of the parents working from home, the mornings tend to be the most productive while in the afternoons, more time is devoted to developmental child care.

A second wave of the virus is rolling across Europe and has reached the UK, sparking fears of a return to lockdown.

Britain on Thursday reported its highest ever number of new daily infections.

The new cases brought the country's total to 416,363, according to data from Worldometer.