U.S. Senate panel holds hearing on social media algorithms – Yahoo News UK

The Telegraph

Five reasons why June 21 won’t be the return to normal we thought

June 21 is burned into the public consciousness as the day when life will finally return to normal and Britain will reach its destination on Boris Johnson’s “one-way road to freedom”. But there are growing signs that Covid-19 restrictions will remain in place long after the summer solstice. The Government’s scientific advisers want “baseline measures”, including social distancing, to continue for another year, councils are hiring Covid marshals to start work in July, and vaccine passports are already being trialled. Meanwhile, legal powers to impose domestic Covid-19 restrictions have been extended by Parliament until September, while international travel restrictions are expected to stay in place for many months. The Prime Minister insists “the end really is in sight”, but it increasingly seems that may only apply to those who own a telescope. Social distancing While the Government is confident that restrictions on meeting friends and family (such as the so-called Rule of Six) will cease on June 21, it appears increasingly likely that some form of social distancing will stay in place. Ministers are conducting a review of the ‘one metre-plus rule’, which allows restaurant customers, office workers and others to sit one metre apart if mitigations such as screens and extra ventilation are in place. Pubs have warned that if the one metre-plus rule stays in place, it will be a disaster for them, because they need to be full to make a profit. But hospitality bosses are pessimistic about the possibility of seeing punters crammed shoulder to shoulder at the bar any time soon. Theatres, cinemas, nightclubs and other venues that rely on full houses to turn a profit are also anxiously awaiting the results of the government review.