The coronavirus pandemic
New York Times smears COVID-19 whistleblower Rebekah Jones
By Genevieve Leigh, 14 December 2020
The Times is attempting to dig up completely irrelevant episodes from Jones’ past in order to discredit her work in exposing the state cover-up of COVID-19 cases.
School students in Germany protest and enforce online teaching to combat coronavirus infection
By Gregor Link, 14 December 2020
“With our pupils’ strike, we have achieved more protection against infection with a few hours of preparation than all of the measures taken by Bremen’s politicians in recent months.”
New York City halts indoor dining but keeps schools open as second coronavirus wave accelerates
By Josh Varlin, 14 December 2020
Even as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths climb to levels not seen in months, state and local governments headed by Democrats have reopened schools and kept most businesses open.
COVID-19 death toll continues climbing in the Pacific
By John Braddock, 12 December 2020
The ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases across the Pacific is amplifying the existing public health crisis.
European Central Bank increases stimulus but markets want more
By Nick Beams, 12 December 2020
ECB President Christine Lagarde told a press conference the economic weakness resulting from the pandemic was more protracted than previously envisaged.
EU Summit: billions for the banks, nothing for workers
By Peter Schwarz, 12 December 2020
The EU summit on December 10–11 resembled a besieged fortress, held in the midst of the European Union’s deepest social and economic crisis since its foundation.
US aviation officials push to resume normal air traffic operations while coronavirus spreads
By Claude Delphian and Hector Cordon, 12 December 2020
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has slowly resumed pre-pandemic air traffic controller schedules as airlines increase flights.
Inside the COVID-19 outbreak at the Carriage House nursing home in Bay City, Michigan
By Zac Corrigan, 12 December 2020
Workers describe the conditions which have led to over half of the nursing home’s 61 residents now testing positive for COVID, and at least three deaths since November 23.
Texas educators demand halt to in-person state standardized testing
Texas Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, 12 December 2020
Texas educators are demanding that students not be forced to take in-person state assessments as a prerequisite for graduation during the pandemic.
Hospital capacity in the US severely strained as coronavirus infections continue to surge
By Benjamin Mateus, 12 December 2020
A recent report by the US Department of Health and Human Services showed that as many as 200 hospitals had reached full capacity last week. One-third of all hospitals reported their ICU occupancy was above 90 percent.
“We need more people in society to stand against these ‘leaders’ and speak the truth.”
Workers across the US speak out in defense of COVID-19 whistleblower Rebekah Jones
By Renae Cassimeda, 12 December 2020
The WSWS received widespread support for Rebekah Jones from educators and other workers in Florida, California, Texas, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Hawaii.
Stop the wave of death! Repudiate the policies of the pandemic profiteers!
Statement of the Socialist Equality Party (US), 12 December 2020
Hundreds of thousands of lives can be saved if emergency action is taken, but the working class must intervene with its own program in opposition to the ruling class and the capitalist system.
Frontline nurse at UK’s Poole Hospital Trust speaks out about unsafe working conditions amid surge of COVID-19
By our reporter, 12 December 2020
“Many staff have contracted the virus in our hospital because we don’t have enough protection.”
Europe’s COVID-19 deaths approach half a million
By Johannes Stern, 11 December 2020
Two weeks before Christmas, the COVID-19 pandemic is raging out of control in Europe.
Sweden sees ICU occupancy approach 99 percent in Stockholm
By Benjamin Mateus, 11 December 2020
The “herd immunity” model for dealing with the pandemic has led to a massive surge in infections, with the health system in the Swedish capital reaching capacity.
Sri Lankan president calls on companies to exploit pandemic for cost-cutting
By Saman Gunadasa, 11 December 2020
Rajapakse’s speech underscores the necessity for the working class to undertake a political fight on a socialist program against this big business government.
Ventra Sandusky: Vote “No” on 2020 contract! Form rank-and-file committees to oppose UAW sellout!
By The World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter, 11 December 2020
To prevent a strike and maintain the flow of profits, the United Auto Workers is attempting to impose a sellout agreement on 2,200 Ohio parts workers.
Student rent strikes spread across UK universities
By Henry Lee, 11 December 2020
Thousands of students have joined rent strikes at Sussex, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Nottingham, and universities across London.
Committee for Public Education (Australia) online meeting discusses global struggles of teachers and educators
By Carolyn Kennett, 11 December 2020
Panellists explained the fight for rank-and-file committees to provide the deep-seated opposition to the reopening of schools a political direction and leadership.
UK government forces schools to stay open as infections continue to surge
By Tom Pearce, 11 December 2020
Using the Coronavirus Act, the education secretary can “give temporary continuity directions requiring schools to take certain actions, including staying open”.
Auto companies’ stocks rise as workers die from COVID-19
By Shannon Jones, 11 December 2020
Wall Street is demanding car companies increase production to restock depleted dealer inventories, even as the pandemic is claiming a growing number of autoworkers’ lives.
“They never respected us enough to acknowledge the human lives lost.”
Montgomery, Alabama teachers demand the right to teach from home, are snubbed by school board
By Emma Arceneaux, 10 December 2020
Emotions ran high in the meeting held just three days after the burials of two beloved educators.
Auto parts worker dies of COVID-19-induced heart attack at Faurecia plant in Saline, Michigan
By Tim Rivers, 10 December 2020
John Stamper's death is only the latest demonstration of the need for an immediate shutdown of nonessential production, including the auto industry, in order to combat the spread of the disease and save hundreds of thousands of lives.
Canadian authorities covering up workplace COVID-19 outbreaks to justify keeping economy and schools open
By Janet Browning, 10 December 2020
The reckless back-to-work drive mounted by Canada’s federal and provincial governments has led to a surge in workplace COVID-19 infections and deaths, especially among low income, highly-exploited industrial and logistics workers.
Pupils in Germany resist in-person classes and demand “consistent lockdown”
By Gregor Link, 10 December 2020
The Bremen school strike is part of a growing wave of resistance by students against the herd immunity policies of the European governments.
How Tyson Foods chairman John Tyson made $600 million by exposing meatpacking workers to coronavirus
By Cordell Gascoigne, 10 December 2020
Tyson has not merely been a passive beneficiary of the policies of Trump and the political establishment. He has directly intervened to ensure the maintenance of production.
Detroit Free Press breaks silence on Fiat Chrysler COVID-19 deaths in effort at damage control
By James Brewer, 10 December 2020
While acknowledging recent COVID-19 deaths at Detroit-area plants, both the company and the union, along with the corporate media which approvingly reports their comments, blame autoworkers for the spread of the disease in the plants.
Public sector workers mount national strike across Italy
By Will Morrow, 10 December 2020
There is mass opposition in the working class to unsafe working conditions and the malignant social inequality fueled by decades of austerity and exacerbated by the pandemic.
Anti-Chinese campaign casts doubt over vaccinations as second COVID-19 wave batters Brazil
By Miguel Andrade, 10 December 2020
Bolsonaro has repeatedly railed against the CoronaVac vaccine being produced in the country in cooperation with a Chinese company, as several regions are approaching a healthcare system collapse.
Coronavirus death toll at record high in Germany: Merkel puts profits ahead of lives
By Johannes Stern, 10 December 2020
While the infection and death figures are exploding, the German chancellor speaks out in favour of keeping schools and factories open.
Stop government attack on COVID-19 whistleblower Rebekah Jones!
By Statement of the Socialist Equality Party, 10 December 2020
The SEP condemns the fascistic police raid on Jones’ home, meant to suppress her work exposing the spread of COVID-19 in Florida and in schools across the US.
Boise, Idaho health district meeting canceled by police after armed protesters threaten board members’ homes
By Jacob Crosse, 10 December 2020
Police, citing “public safety,” called for the meeting to be canceled before the health board could vote on an order instituting limited COVID-19 restrictions.
The pandemic and the normalization of death
By Andre Damon and David North, 9 December 2020
The demand by the political and media establishment that society must prioritize “the economy” over the preservation of human life implies that mass death is essentially necessary and unavoidable.
Workplace COVID-19 infections on the rise in Oregon
By Hector Cordon, 9 December 2020
Distribution centers for corporations have been described as “COVID-19 hotspots” in the state. Along with Amazon, Walmart and Fred Meyer distribution warehouses have been among the workplaces with the largest active outbreaks.
One week after wildcat sickout strike, South Carolina teacher dies from COVID-19
By Rosa Shahnazarian and Emma Arceneaux, 9 December 2020
Despite the tragic death of 50-year-old third-grade teacher Staci Blakely, the school and district remain open for in-person learning.
Teacher walkout forces closure of Toronto-area school hit by COVID-19 outbreak
By Omar Ali, 9 December 2020
Public health authorities initially refused to close the school, following directives from Ontario’s Conservative government, which is determined to keep schools open so parents can go to work and generate profits for big business.
European Central Bank set to provide further market boost
By Nick Beams, 9 December 2020
Stimulus measures by the ECB are a vital component of the trillions of dollars poured into financial markets by the world’s central banks that have resulted in stock prices soaring to record highs.
New study finds young adults vulnerable to developing debilitating long-term complications from COVID-19
By Dominic Gustavo, 9 December 2020
The symptoms reported most frequently by the young adults were impaired concentration, headaches, rhinitis, exercise intolerance, dyspnea, sleep impairment, brain fog, appetite loss, fatigue, and chest pain.
UK COVID-19 vaccination programme will not halt pandemic deaths due to end of lockdown
By Robert Stevens, 9 December 2020
Despite the immense significance for mankind of the availability of the drug—and promising developments with other vaccines coming on stream—its ability to save lives given its 90 to 95 percent effectivity rate against COVID-19, is being undermined by Britain’s ruling elite in their drive to keep the economy open and make profits.
Opposition erupts at San Diego State University following decision to cancel spring break
By IYSSE at San Diego State University, 9 December 2020
The university administration, acting in conjunction with the Democratic Party, has created the conditions for the spread of the virus while providing students with no resources to cope with the stress of school and work amidst a public health emergency.
California’s new COVID-19 restrictions place burden on workers and small business owners
By David Fitzgerald, 8 December 2020
The stay-at-home order which went into effect Sunday night for most of the state offers no protection to workers and no financial compensation to ruined small business owners while allowing large workplaces and factories to remain open.
Seeking to stave off demands for industry shutdown, UAW to host COVID-19 testing site in Louisville, Kentucky
By Steve Filips, 8 December 2020
The UAW’s move is in part aimed at shortening the time workers are away from production while awaiting test results.
Reopening of New York City schools threatens massive spread of COVID-19
By Evan Blake, 8 December 2020
The driving force behind the homicidal campaign to open schools and nonessential workplaces is not science or public health, but rather the profit interests of the capitalist class.
Florida COVID-19 data scientist whistleblower raided by state police at gunpoint
By Benjamin Mateus, 8 December 2020
Rebekah Jones’ home was stormed Monday by police who terrorized her and her family and confiscated her phone, computers and other equipment.
Coronavirus outbreak at Amazon warehouse in Troutdale, Oregon exceeds 100 infections
By Tom Carter, 8 December 2020
More than 100 cases have been reported at an Amazon warehouse in Troutdale, Oregon, where management is forcing workers to sign “non-disclosure agreements.”
Washington D.C. transit system proposes unprecedented cuts in response to severe budget shortfall
By Harvey Simpkins, 7 December 2020
The transit system’s proposal would slash nearly a third of all jobs in its workforce and eliminate weekend rail service completely.
UK People's Assembly talk “Zero Covid” while doing nothing
By Julie Hyland, 7 December 2020
Silence on the criminal role of the Labour and trade union bureaucracy is fundamental to the purpose of the People's Assembly. Though it presents itself as a “grassroots” movement, it is the construct of pro-capitalist tendencies, hostile to socialism and the working class
One-quarter of Macomb County Jail inmates test positive for coronavirus
By Eboni Davis, 7 December 2020
The county as a whole has had more than 39,000 cases throughout the year, equal to nearly 4.5 percent of the entire population.
The unseen plight of undocumented workers in the US during the pandemic
By Melody Isley, 7 December 2020
Deemed “essential” workers, but denied legal recognition and financial or medical resources, the undocumented work in high-risk industries where COVID-19 spreads at unrivaled rates.
“Red-tagging” accusations at the centre of elite conflict in the Philippines
By John Malvar, 7 December 2020
The McCarthyite accusations are an initial salvo between rival sections of the ruling class in the mounting political tensions leading up to the May 2022 presidential election.
Alberta’s UCP government plans field hospitals as it allows COVID-19 infections to soar
By Laurent Lafrance, 7 December 2020
The catastrophe now unfolding in Alberta is the direct result of Premier Kenney’s adamant refusal to heed doctors’ repeated calls for emergency lockdown measures.
Student government delegates at the University of Michigan speak out against the administration’s COVID-19 policies
By Jesse Thomas, 7 December 2020
The decision to reopen the university residence halls and conduct in-person learning immediately provoked opposition from the student body, culminating in a nine-day strike in September by graduate student instructors.
Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank announce new round of job cuts
By Elisabeth Zimmerman, 7 December 2020
At a time when the German DAX index approaches a historic high of over 13,000 points with shareholders swimming in money, tens of thousands of white-collar and blue-collar workers are paying the price for this orgy of enrichment with their jobs and livelihoods.
COVID-19 is now the leading cause of death in the US
By Benjamin Mateus, 7 December 2020
COVID-19 is inundating hospitals across the US. The case fatality rate is already seeing an upturn, which means that hundreds of patients who will die in the next few weeks would have survived had they been infected just a month ago.
New coronavirus hotspots at German meatpacking plants and Amazon hubs
By Marianne Arens, 7 December 2020
At least five Amazon employees are among those currently struggling for their lives in an intensive care unit while 172 workers at a large Tönnies slaughterhouse tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
Thirteen thousand jobs threatened at UK’s Arcadia Group
By Jean Shaoul, 7 December 2020
Twenty-five thousand jobs are threatened with the collapse of Arcadia, which operates 500 retail chain stores and Debenhams which runs 124 stores.
US occupational safety agency fails to report hundreds of health care worker deaths
By Alex Johnson, 5 December 2020
The officially facilitated coverup of worker deaths has continued in the midst of exploding coronavirus infections and deaths over the past month.
UK Tory government manipulated statistics to play down COVID-19 danger to educators
By Henry Lee, 5 December 2020
Boris Johnson’s government is attempting to rubbish any conclusion that teaching is a high-risk occupation, using a combination of manipulated statistics and outright lies.
Washington, DC public schools return students to classes amid record-breaking COVID-19 spike
By Nick Barrickman, 5 December 2020
The sudden return of students to classrooms amid a devastating surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths is based upon businesses demanding a complete reopening of the economy.
Growing protests in Germany against lethal policy of opening schools
By Gregor Link, 5 December 2020
The decision by politicians to keep schools, day-care centres and businesses open under unsafe conditions is costing the lives of hundreds of people every day in Germany alone, who die a completely avoidable and agonizing death.
Number of infections among UPS airline pilots doubled in one month
By Steve Filips, 5 December 2020
One hundred pilots for UPS Airlines were infected with coronavirus last month, double the amount for the rest of the year, the pilots’ union announced on Nov. 30.
1.5 million dead from the coronavirus pandemic worldwide
By Bryan Dyne, 5 December 2020
More than 10,000 people are killed by this deadly disease every day, 50 percent more than the height of the first wave of the pandemic in April and more than double the daily death rate at the start of October.
UK healthcare workers: “The ending of lockdown will see a massive increase in infections”
By Margot Miller, 5 December 2020
Doctors, nurses and health care assistants in the UK say hospitals are at breaking point and warn that the Conservative government’s ending of the national lockdown will fuel a new wave of infections and hospital admissions.
ILO survey reveals COVID-19 impact on Bangladeshi women garment workers
By Wimal Perera, 4 December 2020
COVID-19 continues to rage through the country with the number of infections climbing to almost 470,000 and the death toll at 6,713.
Trudeau names top military officer to lead Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout
By Laurent Lafrance, 4 December 2020
Making the military responsible for the vaccination campaign is part of an ongoing government effort to promote the armed forces as a pivotal national institution, and acclimatize the population to its playing an increasingly important role in public life.
UK schools facing bankruptcy during pandemic
By Margot Miller, 4 December 2020
Half the schools in Stockport anticipate going into deficit budgets this year as they struggle with the extra costs incurred by the pandemic.
New surge of COVID-19 cases at GM Fort Wayne amid reports of expanding outbreaks at other factories
By Shannon Jones, 4 December 2020
There have been 21 new confirmed COVID-19 cases so far this week at the GM Fort Wayne, Indiana truck plant, while management has been seeking to withhold income from infected workers.
Cancellations and postponements as disaster in college football continues
By Andy Thompson, 4 December 2020
The University of Michigan has canceled its game this upcoming weekend against the University of Maryland after 12 people in the program tested positive for coronavirus.
Capitalism’s winter of death
Immediate action is necessary to save hundreds of thousands of lives!
By Statement of the Socialist Equality Party, 4 December 2020
Unless urgent measures are taken to shut down nonessential production, a quarter-million lives could be lost to the COVID-19 pandemic within the next three months.
Letter to Boycott Return to Unsafe Schools (BRTUS)/Parents United Against Unsafe Schools
Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, 3 December 2020
Workers and parents must have the right to decide which political programme and perspective they wish to adopt or discuss and debate. Blocking access to this through censorship is a reactionary tool to silence opposition.
UK Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee meets as Johnson ends one-month national lockdown
By Harvey Singh, 3 December 2020
“Workers overwhelmingly oppose this calculated endangering of human life, but Labour and the trade unions are working systematically to prevent this opposition gaining a political voice and leadership.”
Illinois nursing home workers strike in second week as pandemic surges: Build rank-and-file-committees to save lives
By Jessica Goldstein and Kristina Betinis, 3 December 2020
The strike of some 700 Chicago-area Infinity Healthcare workers entered its second week as the state records COVID-19 deaths.
Bipartisan $908 billion “emergency relief framework” receives support from Democratic congressional leadership
By Jacob Crosse, 3 December 2020
Limited details reveal a proposal that includes generous handouts and protections to corporations while excluding another round of stimulus checks and reducing unemployment funds for workers as the pandemic enters its deadliest phase.
The science behind COVID-19 vaccines
By Benjamin Mateus, 3 December 2020
Both Pfizer, a pharmaceutical giant, and the start-up firm Moderna have used essentially the same biochemical process, involving messenger RNA (mRNA) to develop a new vaccine against coronavirus.
Canadian government’s fiscal update intensifies criminal drive to keep “economy open” as pandemic rages
By Roger Jordan, 3 December 2020
On a day which saw over 6,100 new COVID-19 infections and 98 deaths, the Trudeau government announced no new measures to curb the spread of the virus.
Mobilize the working class to halt school reopenings in New York City!
The New York City Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, 3 December 2020
Everything now depends upon the building of rank-and-file safety committees in every school and neighborhood across the city, completely independent of the UFT and the Democrats who are conspiring to reopen schools.
US coronavirus pandemic deaths heading towards 3,000 per day
By Chase Lawrence, 3 December 2020
The explosion in deaths is a consequence of the criminal “herd immunity” policy pursued by both Democrats and Republicans which has entailed the reopening of schools and nonessential production in order to maintain profit making and ensure a continued rise in the stock market.
Nurses union in New York state ends strikes as COVID-19 hospitalizations surpass 100,000 for first time
By Jerry White, 3 December 2020
The nurses who went on strike at two New York state hospitals Tuesday gave voice to the anger of millions of health care workers across the US and internationally who are battling the pandemic with inadequate staffing and protections.
Letter from a Bournemouth Hospital frontline nurse sparks broader discussion on conditions facing NHS workers in UK
By our reporter, 3 December 2020
The letter was publicised by NHS FightBack, an initiative of the Socialist Equality Party, and then shared widely on social media, including on a number of National Health Service Facebook campaign groups.
UAW keeping workers at Ohio Ventra parts plant on the job without contract during pandemic
By Zac Thorton, 3 December 2020
Forced to continue working under a contract which expired in July, workers at the parts plant are reaching their breaking point as UAW maintains silence over negotiations.
Los Angeles school district plans full reopening as COVID-19 outbreaks mount in schools
By Dan Conway, 2 December 2020
Despite claims that they do not intend to fully reopen schools, behind closed doors the school district is in fact planning such moves with the teachers union.
Sixteen-year-old Wisconsin high school student dies of COVID-19
By Fabian Salgado, 2 December 2020
Even though Isai Morocho’s school was not meeting in person, his father, mother and brother all work in-person jobs, allowing for endless possible encounters with the virus.
Amid pandemic surge in school-aged children
Chicago Public Schools unveils reopening plan
By Alexander Fangmann, 2 December 2020
The Chicago Public Schools reopening plan ignores the deadly reality of COVID-19 and will result in the needless deaths of even more Illinois teachers, students and family members.
Health care workers in the US speak out: “We have PTSD”
By Bryan Dyne, 2 December 2020
The dire situation facing frontline health care workers during the pandemic is only getting worse as the number of hospitalizations in the US surpasses 100,000.
Music and aerosols: What the research reveals about the performing arts during a pandemic
By Benjamin Mateus, 2 December 2020
The Skagit Valley Chorale rehearsal on March 10 was one of the nation’s first super-spreading events. A University of Colorado study provided a critical recognition that the virus that caused COVID-19 spread predominately in the aerosol form.
UK Labour Party backs Johnson government ending lockdown in “national interest”
By Robert Stevens, 2 December 2020
Johnson was ultimately able to win the vote by a large majority thanks to most of Labour’s 200 MPs abstaining, with Starmer abiding by his cynical pledge to only “constructive” opposition to the government.
14-year-old Michigan youth who was brutally treated by police dies of COVID-19
By Valery Tsekov, 2 December 2020
Fourteen-year-old Honestie Hodges has died from complications of COVID-19 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, two weeks after being hospitalized on her birthday.
The coronavirus pandemic and the case for expropriating the financial oligarchy
By Eric London, 2 December 2020
As the deaths pile up in every country, the ruling class is taking advantage of the pandemic to orchestrate an unprecedented transfer of wealth from the working class to the rich.
Resolution in Germany: “Close schools and day-care centres and organize safe education!”
By Network of Action Committees for Safe Education, 1 December 2020
The following statement was adopted by the Network of Action Committees for Safe Education at its meeting last Friday.
Eight protesting inmates demanding COVID-19 protection shot dead in Sri Lankan prison
By Pradeep Ramanayake, 1 December 2020
The brutal Mahara Prison killings are not an aberration but are in line with the increasingly repressive methods being employed to suppress opposition to the government’s COVID-19 response.
The conspiracy to reopen schools
By Andre Damon, 1 December 2020
Despite a months-long media campaign claiming it is safe to reopen schools, every reputable scientific study has shown that closing schools is one of the most effective ways to contain the pandemic.
Meeting of the Network of Action Committees for Safe Education
In Germany, dozens of students, parents and teacher representatives call for school strikes and safe education
By Our reporters, 1 December 2020
On Friday evening, the network of Action Committees for Safe Education in Germany held its largest online meeting to date.
“Are any of these trucks worth any of our brothers and sisters dying?”
COVID-19 cases explode at GM Fort Wayne as UAW abets cover-up
By Shannon Jones, 1 December 2020
Management memos obtained by the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter document 50 cases in the plant between November 6 and November 23. Eleven cases were reported November 20 alone, indicating the rate of infection is increasing.
Young people speak out about the unprecedented collapse in their living conditions since the pandemic began
By Noah Ryan and Nick Barrickman, 1 December 2020
Over half of all people between the ages of 18 and 29 in the United States have been forced to move in with relatives or friends since the pandemic began in March.
New York City educators denounce plans to reopen schools
By Sandy English, 1 December 2020
Educators throughout New York City have reacted with outrage at the plans of Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio and the UFT to reopen schools on December 7.
Evictions caused nearly 11,000 excess COVID-19 deaths in six months in the US
By Jacob Crosse, 1 December 2020
Data compiled by researchers at five major US universities illustrates the deadly consequences of throwing workers and their families out of their homes during the pandemic.
“GM’s one of the biggest liars out there”
GM Fairfax worker speaks out over management-UAW cover-up of COVID-19 spread
By James Tatsch, 1 December 2020
The coronavirus has been surging across Kansas and Missouri, with both states recording their highest totals over the proceeding days with no sign of abating.
UK Conservative government moves to end national lockdown with Labour Party backing
By Robert Stevens, 1 December 2020
The government is to end a lockdown that, despite its partial character and schools and workplaces remaining open, has cut coronavirus infections cases by a third.
Cleveland-Heights University Heights School District threatens to halt health care benefits if teachers strike
By Isaac Finn, 30 November 2020
A school district just outside of Cleveland, Ohio is threatening to cut healthcare payments to 500 teachers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Private sector and Conservative Party cronies reap over £17 billion in government contracts during pandemic
By Robert Stevens, 30 November 2020
At least 15 companies handed contracts without tendering or oversight had connections to the Conservative government in what is being described as a “chumocracy”.