If clubs and bars are anything to go by, many Brits clearly want to return to normal, with thousands of punters packing out venues across the country on Friday night – the beginning of the first weekend since July 19th.
Airports and airlines in the U.K. claim to be having the busiest weekend since the pandemic began, but continued restrictions on travel mean this summer season will once again be far from normal for the industry.
Thousands have marched in major Australian cities, including Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, against lockdown, with more than half of Australians currently being told to stay at home.
A small list of key workers have been made exempt from self-isolation rules amid reports of food shortages, but to make matters more confusing, the Government says they must stay at home when they are not on shift.
Italy is set to join the growing list of countries introducing vaccine passport checks at restaurants, gyms, museums, movie theatres and more.
The University and College Union, still unconvinced that it is safe for university life to return to normal, demands that all students are fully vaccinated by September and that mask mandates continue on campuses.
The domestic holiday industry was relying on this crucial summer season to make up for losses from the past year. But hotels, theatres and cafes are being forced to close due to staff shortages caused by the "pingdemic".
The vaccination of children as young as 12 is likely to be approved by Australian health authorities on Friday despite ongoing debates on the safety of extending national vaccine roll-outs to the youngest in society.
A new Government ad campaign ignores the passing of "Freedom Day" and instructs Brits to carry on wearing face masks and to use the NHS Covid app so as to "keep life moving".
More than nine in 10 Brits would test positive for antibodies against Covid, according to the latest ONS data. But that hasn't stopped the NHS app 'pinging' a record 620,000 people in England and Wales in just one week.
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