They think it's over, but it's not
11 Jun 2020
Nurses who have lived away from home since the early days of the pandemic to avoid the risk of infecting their families were interviewed recently. One says she fears that cases will begin to rise because members of the public, unlike medical staff, seem too eager to ‘move on’. Another said that her friend was admitted to her ward and it shocked her to see her friend fighting for breath and so ill. Thankfully she is now improving but the nurse said, ‘We are still admitting patients on to the Covid ward and I don't see much sign of it stopping. Some people tell us they have not been social distancing - they have been with relatives, or to other houses. I definitely think it is going to get worse before it gets better, because people just think that it is over.’ Pray for God to strengthen and comfort our frontline workers.
He wanted to live, but was left to die
11 Jun 2020
MSP had developed a gastric ulcer and other gastroenterological problems in 2019 and had a temporary stoma bag fitted. He told his parents and doctors that he ‘utterly loathed’ it and that he would rather die. As his condition developed he wrote an ‘advance directive’ in February 2020, refusing a permanent stoma or any medical treatment preventing him from living independently. His temporary stoma was removed on 14 May and he experienced sepsis. The only way to save his life was to fit a stoma bag immediately. He chose to have the bag inserted; he wanted to live. The doctors made an urgent out-of-hours application to Mr Justice Hayden to determine whether that life-saving treatment was or was not in his best interests. Even though he had changed his mind and his parents and doctors requested life, the judge ordered the withdrawal of life support.
Schoolchildren’s education
11 Jun 2020
Many of England's pupils are set to miss six months of lessons. There is a call for the Government to organise a task force to prevent the potential inequality around children's education. Pray for practical, workable plans to ensure that children can continue to reach their full potential. English schools and colleges must submit their estimated grades for GCSE and A-levels by 12 June. Pupils will be ranked from highest to lowest in achievement. Exam regulators have issued guidance on how to make the process as fair and accurate as possible. Many pupils are nervous about their estimated grades. Pray for those unsure of achieving the grade 4 or above needed in maths and English. May peace replace panic. Plans for all primary children to return before the summer have been dropped. The education secretary said there was a cautious, phased return to school: ‘if schools had the capacity, they could take more pupils if they chose.’
Police: ‘We are not punchbags’
11 Jun 2020
Home Office figures show 5,000 attacks on Met Police officers, almost half of which resulted in injury. There is concern that during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that number will rise. A video showing officers being attacked in north London on 10 June is circulating on social media. A member of the public flagged down two police officers, a man and a woman, saying he had been assaulted and directed them to the alleged attacker. As an officer attempted to speak with those involved, one of them became aggressive, and a struggle ensued. A number of others became involved whilst the officer was on the ground, and passers-by filmed the attack - but did not step in to support the overwhelmed policewoman, who was attempting to keep people away. She was injured in the process before more officers arrived to assist and arrest the two men. Both officers suffered injuries that did not require hospital treatment. The Metropolitan Police Federation said, ‘We are not society's punchbags.’
Christians in Westminster
11 Jun 2020
During lockdown written answers were given to various bishops’ questions on free school meals, on coal and renewable energy in India, on modern-day slavery and the two-child benefit limit. Parliament met in Westminster and online from 2 June. The Bishop of Chelmsford began each virtual sitting day in the Lords with prayers, spoke in a debate on the economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and asked the Government about reducing poverty by raising universal credit payments. The Bishop of St Albans entered the debate on Hong Kong protests and supported regulations on direct payments to UK farmers; while the Bishop of Winchester asked the Government about the impact of Covid-19 on apprenticeship schemes. Also, 2020’s national parliamentary prayer breakfast will be live-streamed this year on Tuesday 30 June from 8.30am. The Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin will address the theme of ‘Hope and peace in a time of fear and suffering’. See
Trust church leaders on reopening
11 Jun 2020
Christian Concern recently urged the Government to trust pastors to reopen churches, as churches are more than Sunday services. They are food banks, restore people's mental and spiritual wellbeing, and offer many other vital services. If workplaces throughout Britain are trusted to make wise decisions around reopening, why not the church? The one-size-fits-all ban treats gathered church worship as a luxury and wrongly stops responsible pastors from making the decision themselves. The government has asked for more time to respond to the reopening request, saying collective worship could take place next month. See
Opening borders
11 Jun 2020
As governments across Europe seek ways to reopen borders, the EU is calling for a coordinated approach, especially as it seems each country is drawing different conclusions on how best to proceed. What happens over the coming weeks and months will be important both for ‘key’ travel as well as tourism. In May, the EU set out plans for a phased restart of travel from 15 June, giving guidelines about lifting restrictions at the internal borders. European legislation provides a framework for such reopenings. ‘It is up to each member state to decide how to regulate its own borders, but they must do so within the framework of the Schengen Code for the Schengen Area,’ said European law professor Alberto Alemanno. See
Netherlands: minks and coronavirus
11 Jun 2020
Thousands of Dutch minks became infected with coronavirus and were culled. Researchers are now urging other countries such as Denmark and Spain to test their animals, after infected minks passed the virus on to several mink farmers. The Dutch government says the culling is to prevent farms from becoming long-term reservoirs of Coronavirus. The animals were first infected by their handlers in April. In May, the government identified two cases in which humans had been infected by sick animals - the only animal-to-human transmissions known since the global outbreak began in China. The Humane Society is calling for the 24 countries still allowing mink farming to evaluate evidence from the Netherlands.