THE pingdemic has left supermarkets at «crisis point» amid fears panic-buying could sweep the country.
Ranjit Singh Boparan, owner of one of the UK’s largest food producers Sisters Food Group, says tens of thousands of people being forced to self-isolate is having a major impact on the supply chain.
But he adds that the pingdemic isn’t the only cause of supermarkets reaching crisis point, and that it may in fact be masking additional concerns such as Brexit-related shortages and other covid-related issues.
“No-one could possibly have predicted that this toxic cocktail would come together at this time,” Mr Boparan said.
“It started with the pandemic – and in the last week or so with pingdemic, but since May this year the operating environment has deteriorated so profoundly I can see no other outcome than major food shortages in the UK.
“Supply of chicken and turkey is under threat…we are at crisis point, he went on to say.
Read our coronavirus live blog for the very latest updates…
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WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19?
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96% OF ADULTS REPORTED THEY HAVE HAD A VACCINE OR WILL HAVE THE VACCINE IF OFFERED
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CASES OF CHILDHOOD VIRUS EIGHT TIMES HIGHER THAN PRE-COVID
The number of RSV infections is currently eight times higher than the same time period before the pandemic.
The «out-of-season» trend has resulted in PHE giving a warning to parents to watch out for symptoms.
It’s expected the wave will continue well into the winter, when experts have warned of pressure on NHS paediatric intensive care units.
Azra Ghani, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at Imperial College London, told the Sun: «This is of concern for the NHS because although RSV is a mild infection in the majority of children, a few require intensive care.
«Paediatric intensive care units are limited in capacity.»
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THREAT LEVELS
The UK has 25 areas on the Covid watchlist due to their amount of active cases.
The Delta variant is now the cause of around 99 per cent of infections and driving the third wave in the UK.
North East Lincolnshire is number one on the watchlist created by the ZOE Covid Symptom Study, with the most active cases as of July 18 (3,324 in every 100,000 people).
Prevalence is second highest in Stockton-on-Tees, with 2,691 cases in every 100,000, and third highest in Falkirk (2,434).
The most hotspots are in London, making up eight of the 25 spots on the list.
Read more here.
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WATCH: SHOPS WILL START TO RUN OUT OF FOOD IN 48 HOURS IF DISASTROUS PINGDEMIC RULES AREN’T SCRAPPED
Some supermarkets last night warned the PM he has just 48 hours to fix the pingdemic or customers could face bare shelves for weeks.
Iceland said it has closed “a number of stores” after 1,000 workers – four per cent of its workforce – forced to self-isolate after being pinged.
BP has temporarily closed some petrol stations due to fuel supply problems, with M&S warning 20 per cent of its staff could be self-isolating by next month.
Supermarket pingdemic shortages – empty shelves hit shops as people urged not to panic buy -
KEIR STARMER DID NOT LOOK FOR A “GET-OUT CLAUSE” FOR SELF-ISOLATION, SAYS KEY ALLY
Sir Keir Starmer did not try and find a “get-out clause” to avoid self-isolation like the Prime Minister and Chancellor, a senior member of his shadow cabinet has said.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves criticised Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak after it emerged they planned to avoid isolating after being a close contact of Health Secretary Sajid Javid – who tested positive for the virus – by being part of a daily testing pilot scheme.
A public backlash forced a retreat, meaning both the Prime Minister and Chancellor were self-isolating on “freedom day” when most legal restrictions were removed in England.
Labour leader Sir Keir was also forced to self-isolate on Wednesday after one of his children tested positive for Covid-19.
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SUPERMARKET SWEEP
Shoppers have spotted shortages in supermarkets including bottled water and fresh fruit and veg.
Supplies to shops have been hit by the “pindemic” forcing workers to self-isolate adding to existing worker shortages and increased demand from the heatwave.
Ice creams and beer are also among the items running low in some locations, as supermarkets warned customers not to panic buy.
Empty shelves have been spotted in supermarkets, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Iceland and Lidl.
Food will still be available in stores, but shoppers are likely to see fewer items on shelves and less choice of products.
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SAJID JAVID SAYS RESTRICTIONS WON’T LAST ‘A DAY LONGER THAN NECESSARY’
Sajid Javid has vowed he doesn’t want the remaining Covid rules to last “a day longer than necessary”.
But the isolating Health Secretary, who tested positive for the virus last week despite being double jabbed, admitted there will be no big bang ending to the pandemic as we learn to live with the virus.
Mr Javid also said his experience dealing with the pandemic has been “rather more personal than I would have wanted.”
In an article for The Spectator today he joked: “Testing positive for Covid-19 definitely wasn’t in the 100-day plan” and revealed he’s even had to isolate from his own wife on their wedding anniversary.
But he stressed that “curtailing people’s precious liberties, as vital as it has been, is never something that’s come easily to me” as a Conservative.
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ERIC’S CLAMPDOWN
Eric Clapton won’t play shows where the attendees are required to prove they’ve been vaccinated against Covid.
The guitarist, 76, made the announcement after previously revealing his “disastrous” reaction to getting two vaccinations.
Eric shared his stance in reaction to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that vaccine passes would be required to enter nightclubs and other venues.
“Following the PM’s announcement, I feel honor-bound to make an announcement of my own,” Eric said via a statement on architect and anti-vaxxer Robin Monotti Graziadei’s Telegram account.
“I wish to say that I will not perform on any stage where there is a discriminated audience present.
“Unless there is provision made for all people to attend, I reserve the right to cancel the show.”
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THE 21 SYMPTOMS THAT MEAN YOU SHOULD GET A COVID TEST ASAP REVEALED
The 21 symptoms to look out for are:
- High temperature (fever)
- Chills or shivers
- Persistent cough
- Loss or change of smell
- Loss or change in taste
- Headache
- Unusual tiredness
- Sore throat
- Sudden confusion
- Skin rash
- Changes in the mouth or tongue
- Covid fingers or toes
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pains
- Muscle pains
- Hoarse voice
- Diarrhoea
- Skipping meals
- Abdominal pains
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
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THIRD OF YOUNG ADULTS IN ENGLAND BETWEEN 18 AND 29 HAVE NOT HAD FIRST DOSE OF COVID VACCINE
Some 66.4% of people aged 18 to 29 had received a first dose as of July 18, according to estimates from NHS England – meaning 33.6% are likely to be unjabbed.
This is the equivalent of around 2.9 million adults under 30.
A breakdown of this age group by gender shows vaccine take-up continues to be lower among males than females.
An estimated 71.9% of women aged 25 to 29 have had a first dose, compared with only 65.0% of men.
And among 18-24 year-olds, while 68.2% of women are estimated to have received one dose, only 60.0% of men have done so.
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YESTERDAYS CASES
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COVID CASES WILL RISE ‘EXPONENTIALLY’ AGAIN WITHIN DAYS AFTER ‘TEMPORARY SLOWING’, EXPERT WARNS
Yesterday the Government reported 39,906 new Covid diagnoses, which was almost 18 per cent lower than last Thursday’s figure and down for the first time since May.
But Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine, The Norwich School of Medicine, University of East Anglia, said it was likely the unusual stat was only «temporary».
He said: “It is still too early to see any impact of the relaxations of Monday 19th and some of the reduction in cases will be because of many children no longer being tested as regularly now schools are closed.
“I would caution that this may just be a temporary slowing in reports before we start to see a return to exponential growth towards the end of next week as a result of the ending of restrictions last week.”
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ARMY ON STANDBY
The army is on standby to step in and help secure the nation’s food supplies if the Pingdemic worsens, a Cabinet minister said today.
Environment secretary George Eustice revealed up to 20% of workers in the sector have now been forced into self-isolation.
Last night the Government scrambled to exempt 10,000 employees from strict quarantine rules to stop supermarkets running bare.
The move came amid warnings the country could be set to face its worst food shortages in 75 years with half of deliveries being delayed.
MPs have even called for troops to be deployed and tasked with vital roles like shipping goods and stocking shelves.
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WATCH: THE ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY REVEALS NO MORE GROUPS WILL BE ADDED TO SELF-ISOLATION EXEMPTION LIST
George Eustice states that there will be no more self-isolation exemptions ahead of August 16
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NO MORE GROUPS WILL BE ADDED TO AUGUST 16 PINGDEMIC SELF-ISOLATION EXEMPTION LIST
Staff in critical sectors – including food and water supply, medicines and public transport – can dodge 10 days quarantine if their bosses get permission from the Government.
The news was welcomed by industries facing major staff shortages, with more than 618,903 Brits ‘pinged’ by the NHS Covid-19 app in just one week.
The Government has not published a list of essential workers – like it did in the first lockdown – but has identified vital industries.
George Eustice said today that the exemption from self-isolation would not be extended to the hospitality industry.
And he made clear that no other sectors are being considered to dodge self-isolation before August 16.
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THE 25 PLACES ON COVID WATCHLIST REVEALED
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PINGDEMIC NIGHTMARE HITS 999 CALL CENTRES
People were allegedly waiting up to 20 minutes to get through for help.
The chaos has left ambulance services on the brink as 1,000 NHS staff are forced to self-isolate and stay away from work.
Needy Brits are also waiting hours for ambulances to arrive as doctors and paramedics are prioritised for only the sickest people.
Some hospital and ambulance trusts say they are experiencing the busiest times in their histories.
Hot weather, an explosion of bugs and illnesses after lockdown and a swathe of staff self-isolating after being pinged by the NHS Covid app has let to unrelenting pressure.
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LORRY DRIVERS AND FACTORY WORKERS TO USE DAILY COVID TESTS TO ESCAPE ISOLATION
It’s been revealed that lorry drivers and factory workers can now use daily Covid tests to escape ‘pingdemic’ isolation rules and help keep supermarkets stocked.
Ministers have announced emergency plans to keep Britain fed after chilling pictures showed empty shelves and stores reported major staff shortages.
Key staff working in food distribution will able to skip self isolation if they are pinged and go to work as long as they test negative for Covid daily.
But frontline supermarket workers, like check out staff and shelf stackers, are not expected to be allowed to sign up to the scheme.
Bosses will have to apply for their staff to get on the project, and prove they are suffering from dire shortages. The Sun understands that police forces are also set to avoid forced self-isolation.
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BUSINESSES MUST APPLY FOR STAFF TO BE EXEMPT FROM PINGDEMIC SELF-ISOLATION RULES
The full list of crucial sectors where workers can skip pesky isolation rules if they are pinged by the NHS Track and Trace app has finally been revealed.
Anyone working in critical sectors – including food and water supply, medicines and public transport – no longer have to spend days under house arrest if they come into contact with a Covid case – as long as their application for exemption is accepted.
The government’s guidance states that employers who feel their workers should be exempt from self-isolation need to contact the relevant government department for their sector themselves.
They are also asked to provide information on the number of people who they want to leave self-isolation, the jobs they do and the impact that self-isolation would have on their business.
If a worker is deemed to meet the criteria then their employer will get a letter from the government telling them what measures they now need to follow.
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FULL LIST OF WORKERS EXEMPT FROM PINGDEMIC SELF-ISOLATION RULES FROM TODAY
Staff in critical sectors – including food and water supply, medicines and public transport – can dodge 10 days quarantine if their bosses get permission from the Government.
The sectors included are:
- energy
- civil nuclear
- digital infrastructure
- food production and supply
- waste
- water
- veterinary medicines
- essential chemicals
- essential transport
- medicine
- medical devices
- clinical consumable supplies
- emergency services
- border control
- essential defence outputs
- local government
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NEARLY 620,000 PEOPLE TOLD TO SELF-ISOLATE BY COVID APP
618,903 people were told to self-isolate by the NHS test and trace app in the week to 14 July.
Of these 607,486 alerts were sent to people in England – where nearly all restrictions were lifted on Monday.
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ADDING UP?
A new “amber plus” list has resulted in further travel restrictions for Brits going on holiday this summer.
The government announced that all Brits who have had both jabs can skip the 10-day quarantine if returning from an amber list destination.
But those visiting the new “amber watchlist” fully-vaxxed Brits still have to self-isolate.
Here is everything you need to know about the list, and whether holiday hotspot Spain will be added.
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SUPERMARKET SWEEP
Shoppers have spotted shortages in supermarkets including bottled water and fresh fruit and veg.
Supplies to shops have been hit by the «pindemic» forcing workers to self-isolate adding to existing worker shortages and increased demand from the heatwave.
Ice creams and beer are also among the items running low in some locations, as supermarkets warned customers not to panic buy.
Empty shelves have been spotted in supermarkets, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Iceland and Lidl.
Food will still be available in stores, but shoppers are likely to see fewer items on shelves and less choice of products.
Supplies of some items are low in stock at Asda stores Credit: Getty 
Some fresh produce is unavailable at Tesco stores Credit: Getty -
RESPONSE TIMES MAY BE HIT BY STAFF ABSENCE, POLICE CHIEFS WARN
Police response times are being affected as some forces experience “higher levels of absence”, it has been suggested.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said that in some forces, functions such as control room operations are seeing higher staff absences than the national police absence rate, which is 7.3%.
This has an impact on a force’s ability to respond quickly to calls from the public, the NPCC said.
The comments came after one police and crime commissioner warned the public that call response times will rise due to the so-called “pingdemic”.
Steve Turner of Cleveland Police said the force has had to cancel rest days and annual leave for some officers, as well as bringing in others from different shifts, to fill gaps caused by staff having to self-isolate following close contact with someone with Covid-19.