Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 3 May 2020

1. Almost half of UK doctors had to buy their own PPE

Nearly half of the UK's doctors have been forced to buy their own personal protective equipment or use supplies donated by charities or local firms, according to a survey of frontline health workers. A British Medical Association study of 16,343 members found that 48 per cent had bought PPE items themselves or received an “external donation ... due to non-availability of official NHS procurement supplies”.

2. Government fears it has ‘scared the public s**tless’

The government fears that its lockdown message has been “too successful” and will leave people too scared to leave their homes even after lockdown. “We scared everyone s**tless, but now we have to undo some of that,” a Tory MP told the FT. Meanwhile, fewer than one in five of the public believe the time is right to consider reopening schools, restaurants, pubs and stadiums.

3. FTSE 100 firms not expecting normality until next summer

Several FTSE 100 companies are expecting their offices to operate at reduced capacity until the middle of next year, reports Sky News. The news comes as business groups, large employers and unions are sent draft government guidelines explaining how companies can resume working safely when lockdown measures are eased. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will set out his plan in the coming days.

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4. Is Kim Jong-un suffering from a heart complaint?

Kim Jong-un may be suffering from heart trouble, speculates The Sunday Times. After he appeared in public on Friday, observers noted that there was a dark mark on his arm that was not present when he was last pictured presiding over a politburo meeting on April 11. Doctors say the mark appeared to be “heart-related”.

5. Icke slams ‘gutless’ media as YouTube deletes his account

YouTube has deleted the account of the controversial conspiracy researcher David Icke. The video site said the 68-year-old, who has linked the coronavirus pandemic to the 5G mobile network, has broken its policies on sharing information about coronavirus. Responding to the ban, Icke wrote on Twitter: “Where are you gutless media? Silent or cheering.”

6. Top investor Warren Buffett sells his entire airline holdings

Warren Buffett, the legendary American investor, has dumped his holdings in four major US airlines, stating that the coronavirus pandemic means the “world has changed” for the aviation industry. The Observer says his comments “will send shockwaves through financial markets already pulverised by the economic shock of the outbreak”. Buffett also forecast that stock markets had not reached the bottom of the current dip.

7. PM says ‘contingency plans’ were in place when he was ill

Boris Johnson clains “contingency plans” were made while he was ill in hospital with coronavirus. Speaking to the Sun on Sunday, the prime minister said: “I was not in particularly brilliant shape and I was aware there were contingency plans in place. The doctors had all sorts of arrangements for what to do if things went badly wrong.” He says he was given “litres and litres of oxygen”.

8. Crowds surge to Shanghai tourist spots as China reopens

Over one million people visited Shanghai’s 130 top tourist attractions on Friday and Saturday, according to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency. The surge in visitors comes after Shanghai’s Culture and Tourism Administration announced the reopening of several major tourist sites earlier this week in preparation for the May Day holiday. The country is reopening after the coronavirus lockdown.

9. US fears invasion of huge and deadly ‘murder hornets’

Washington state is on the lookout for invasive “murder hornets”, after the insect made its first appearance in the US. The world’s largest insect, the Asian giant hornet can kill humans. In Japan, up to 50 people a year die after being stung, though The Observer says the hornet is usually only aggressive to humans if it is disturbed.

10. Lampard and Brighton pour cold water on football restart plan

Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard, has said it “would not sit well” if Premier League players and staff receive Covid-19 tests while frontline health workers continue to be denied them. Meanwhile, Brighton and Hove Albion have become the first Premier League club to publicly oppose plans to restart the season in neutral stadiums.