Nightclubs and music venues are reportedly set to be given the green light to reopen on 19 July without the need for prior COVID testing or vaccine passports.
According to the Evening Standard, a major review into the reopening of venues in the struggling night time economy sector when social distancing restrictions are expected to be lifted next month is being led by Michael Gove.
Gove believes that testing will prove to be “too much hassle” for both the public and businesses.
A government source told the publication: “We are increasingly confident that people are protected and the plan is to reopen everything, with no exceptions.”
The verdict has been hailed a “godsend” by leaders in the industry.
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Testing will prove to be “too much hassle” for both the public and businesses / Credit: Unsplash (bantersnaps)
The potential decision is said to be following the success of England’s COVID-19 vaccination programme, as well as a series of pilot events that have been running to determine the safe reopening of the events sector.
It was revealed last week that just 28 out of the 58,000 people who attended pilot events tested positive for COVID-19, subsequently leading to demands that the UK government reopens live events as a matter of immediate importance.
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Michael Kill – CEO of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) – has lead the praise for the potential decision, telling the publication that mandatory testing would have a massive impact on an industry that is already among the hardest hit.
“If you are in a late-night pub and thinking of going on to the club around the corner, there’s a good chance that having to take a test would make you question whether to bother,” he said.
The news has also been welcomed on Twitter by Greater Manchester’s Night Time Economy Adviser, Sacha Lord – who is also the co-founder of Warehouse Project and Parklife.
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“Huge respect to Michael Kill for his tireless work for the nightclub industry,” he said.
Featured Image – Unsplash (Antoine Julien)
UK News
British acting legend Dame Maggie Smith dies aged 89
Danny Jones
Some deeply sad showbiz news this weekend as it has been announced that British acting royalty Dame Maggie Smith CH DBE has died aged 89.
The legendary English actor was confirmed as having passed away on Friday, 27 September, following an official statement from her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin.
They wrote: “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.
“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.
They go on to thank the hordes of fans paying their respects online, adding: “[we] ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
With a career spanning six decades and known to generations of movie lovers for appearances as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, Lady in the Van, Downton Abbey and Oh! What a Lovely War, just to name a few of her countless iconic roles, she is the definition of a household name.
She appeared in more than 85 films and TV programmes all told but was arguably most famously known to kids all around the world as the stern but enigmatic and fiercely loyal Hogwarts witch who first welcomed them into the live-action universe of the much-loved wizarding world.
Her theatre career is arguably even more revered, with the BBC dubbing her “a piercing presence on stage and screen” in their official obituary. By all accounts and judging from the tributes online too, a lovely human being with a razor-sharp wit.
Making her acting debut way back in 1952, she went on to win two Oscars five BAFTAs, four Emmys; three Golden Globes, not to mention a Tony as well as nominations for six Laurence Olivier Awards – she quite literally did it all.
Made Dame Maggie back in 1990, Smith is one of the few performers to ever earn the so-called ‘Triple Crown of Acting’, which should tell you everything you need to know about her status within the industry.
Rest in peace to a true legend and thank you for the memories in some of our most formative years.
‘One, two, three – Vera Verto’.
RIP Maggie Smith, this was one of my favourite scenes from Harry Potter with professor mcgonagall 💔 pic.twitter.com/Qe61BS7u9w
An extremely rare and super cute species known as a ‘bongo’ has been born at Chester Zoo
Danny Jones
One of the most critically endangered species on the planet has just been born at Chester Zoo and not only is it super rare and cute but it’s also got one of the most charming little names for an animal we’ve ever come across.
Its scientific name is Tragelaphus eurycerusisaaci, but it’s more commonly and affectionately known as a ‘mountain bongo’, and while that name is undeniably amusing, its conservation status is much more serious as there are just 50 left in the wild.
Just the second bongo to have been born at the conservation charity in the last 15 years and with so few only found in one remote area of Kenya, every birth is ‘vitally important’ to the future of the species.
With that in mind, zoo conservationists are working on plans to translocate mountain bongo from zoos in Europe to Africa in a bid to prevent them from becoming completely extinct and that’s where experts like those at Chester Zoo come in. Say hello to Navari.
Our special new arrival is one of the world’s rarest mammals 🦌
Say hello to baby mountain bongo, Navari 🩷 How cute are her big ears!?
Only 50 mountain bongo now remain in a remote area of Kenya. That's why we're part of international efforts to translocate a number of these… pic.twitter.com/1HH5sLzC8m
Quietly welcomed into the world on 31 May, the female calf might only be a dainty deer-looking creature right now but it is actually the world’s largest forest-dwelling antelope.
With adorable big ears and a striking patterned and camouflaging coat, the bongo is somewhere between an antelope and a red doe crossed with a bit of almost zebra-like striping.
When out in nature as normal, their horns are also used by males for sparing over females and also have to walk with their heads tilted back when moving through forests so they don’t get stuck in branches. They also used these strong horns to uproot plants as well as a long, flexible tongue to reach for food.
Given that there are so few of Navari and her kind left on the planet, few will have ever seen anything like her (ourselves included), but she is already key to the future of her species’ survival.
Born to parents Nolliag and Moti after a nine-and-a-half-month-long pregnancy, the “precious” young female is already growing fast but like most calves is “very shy and elusive”, according to Chester Zoo’s General Manager of Mammals, Dr Nick Davis.
He goes on to explain that most animals and newborns tend to naturally look to take cover to protect themselves; in this particular bongo’s case, their incredibly large ears don’t just look almost out of proportion with their bodies but are so highly sensitive that they keep them constantly on alert to help them sense and escape ambush predators.
Navira pictured with Dad. Standing around 1.1 to 1.4m tall at the shoulder, an adult male bongo can weigh over 300kgs Credit: Chester Zoo (supplied)
Nick went on to say: “We’ve learned so much about their biology and behaviours from important births like this one, as well as the daily care we’ve been able to provide to them in zoos. Until recently, they remained poorly studied across their native range but this is thankfully starting to change.”
“We’re now at the forefront of bongo conservation and we’ve already been involved in a number of breakthrough discoveries, such as finding them living in Uganda for the first time. This has laid a foundation for us to integrate conservation efforts by zoos with those in the wild – offering better hope for the future survival of these incredible animals.
The mountain bongo is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and faces serious threats of extinction due to habitat loss, the agriculture industry and hunting for their meat, horns and hides.
Director of Plants and Animals, Mike Jordan, added: “Working alongside the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest Service, as well as academics in the UK and the zoo community across Europe, plans are now in motion to translocate a number of these wonderful animals from zoos in Europe to Africa.
“We hope they’ll go on to bolster the wild population and help these stunning animals to stage a recovery.” As you can see, the UK’s best zoo and wildlife conservation park continues to do crucial work in protecting rare species like the bongo – and you can be part of those efforts too.
Emily Sergeant -
1st July 2021 
