Coronavirus live news: UK food banks ‘preparing for worst’; record cases in Australian state of Victoria

UK benefit bonus comes to an end; Australian state of Victoria records 1,438 new cases as Delta outbreak continues to grow

In Australia, Victorian authorities say Thursday’s spike in Covid-19 cases – the highest one-day total for the state the pandemic so far – was “completely avoidable”, with parties for the Australian Football League grand final and other social gatherings over the long weekend behind up to one-third of the 1,438 new local infections.

Premier Daniel Andrews said he was sure the latest case numbers would be “of great concern to all Victorians”.

Related: Victoria Covid update: grand final parties blamed as state hits 1,438 cases

Charity food banks in Britain are “preparing for the worst” as the government starts winding up emergency aid measures put in place to cushion the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on millions of workers and low-income households, Reuters reports.

An extra weekly payment of £20 (US$27) to support the country’s poorest families will be cut next month, and more than a million workers face an uncertain future as Britain becomes the first big economy to halt its Covid jobs support scheme.

Food banks, which hand out staple goods from dried pasta to baby food, are especially concerned about the loss of the top-up to the Universal Credit (UC) benefit, which is claimed by almost 6 million people, according to official statistics.

The British move comes as other countries start wrapping up state aid programmes announced last year as Covid battered the global economy.

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Coronavirus | The Guardian

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