Luxair staff trace contacts

Some 68 Luxair staff have been reassigned to support the country’s contact tracing teams and health helpline. The government announced on Saturday that the service, pictured above with health minister Paulette Lenert (LSAP), now counted 220 people, including the reassigned Luxair staff. The tracing centre move to a former Ferrero office in Findel at the end of October. During the week of 2-8 November, 12,600 contacts were identified from 4,100 people who tested positive. Luxembourg government.

Covid-19 in numbers

548 people tested positive in Luxembourg on Saturday and 613 on Friday. There were seven more deaths over the weekend bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 226. On Sunday, 207 people were in hospital, of which 46 in intensive care, according to government figures. Follow the latest updates for Luxembourg in Delano's rolling coverage.

In Europe

Lockdowns continue in Belgium, France, and Germany. Belgium’s consultative committee announced on Friday lockdown measures would stay in place a further two weeks. In France, the lockdown is due to end 1 December but French prime minister Jean Castex said on Thursday it is unlikely gyms, bars and restaurants will remain closed further into December. In Germany, where authorities will set up hundreds of vaccination centers in December, leaders have warned there will be no return to normal life in December.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson is in quarantine after having contact with someone who tested positive. His chief advisor Dominic Cumming left last week after a power struggle within the Conservative party. Brexit talks reach a crucial stage this week. The Guardian.

Global positive cases reached 54.3 million and deaths passed 1.3m, according to the John Hopkins coronavirus resource center.

Long-covid effects

Previously healthy people who contracted covid-19 are showing signs of damage to multiple organs four months later, a UK study of 500 low-risk individuals has found. Fatigue, brain fog, breathlessness and pain are commonly reported effects of so-called long-covid. The UK’s health system, the NHS, on Sunday said it will create 40 specialist clinics to assess the symptoms. The Guardian.

Pandemic aid

Luxembourg is to keep short-time working, or furlough schemes, until June 2021 and will roll out new financial support to prop up the economy during the pandemic, the government announced on Friday. Ministers announced an aid for unpaid costs, and an extension of the recovery and solidarity fund. The culture minister said aid for artists will be extended to December. Delano.

5 new petitions

A ban on smoking at bus, train and tram stations was among the five Luxembourg petitions that opened for signature on Friday. Another petition calls for greater transparency over the price properties sell at in Luxembourg in a bid to stabilise the country’s spiralling house prices. Delano.

OECD’s 40 recommendations

Luxembourg must do more to cut emissions and meet its 55% reduction goal within the next decade, an OECD report has found. Among the 40 recommendations were improvements to water quality, tougher fines for polluters and better management of urban sprawl to protect natural environments. Delano.

Romanian doctor in Belgium

A Romanian doctor who was seriously burned while rescuing covid-19 patients from a hospital fire is being treated in Belgium. 10 patients died in the fire at Piatra Neamt hospital on Saturday. Dr Catalin Denciu was transferred to Queen Astrid military hospital where he is being treated for third degree burns to 40% of his body. BBC news.

Trump drops claim

US president Donald Trump’s campaign has dropped part of a lawsuit to halt Pennsylvania from certifying its presidential election results. It dropped a claim that election officials blocked observers from watching the counting of mail-in ballots in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The lawsuit now focuses on the claim that Democrat-leaning counties unlawfully allowed voters to fix errors in their mail-in ballots. Trump, however, continues to refuse to concede the US election, even though he tweeted that Joe Biden had won the race for the White House.  Reuters. FT.

Musk shuttles astronauts

Elon Musk’s commercial rocket firm SpaceX flew four astronauts into space on Sunday, en route for the International Space Station on a capsule dubbed Resilience. Originally planned for Saturday, the launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, was pushed back because of high winds. Reuters, BBC news.

Qantas centenary

Australian airline Qantas Airways was upbeat for the future as it celebrates its one hundredth anniversary on Monday. It is experiencing its toughest year to date as a result of travel restrictions related to the pandemic, cutting nearly 30% of its workforce. Qantas expects to resume international travel in the second half of 2021. Reuters has this timeline on the airline’s key dates.  Reuters.

Belarus protestor arrests

Around 900 protestors were arrested in Belarus on Sunday during protestors calling for president Alexander Lukashenko to step down. According to one human rights organisation, some of those arrested were beaten by police. AP

A flutter in Belgium

New Kim, the two-year-old Belgian racing pigeon sold for a record €1.6m at an auction on Sunday. He earned the title of best young bird in Belgium when he raced in 2018. He was bought by a wealthy Chinese collector. The Guardian.

Agenda

In parliament

On Tuesday, there will be an hour of questions on the country’s pandemic measures in care homes, and for differently abled people and its testing strategy. Space resources activities are expected to dominate Wednesday’s public session while newspace remains the theme on Thursday when financing of earth observation satellite Luxeosys will be further discussed. Chd.lu

Business events

Luxembourg kicks off a series of events on Tuesday as part of 2020 Internet Days. The same day, there will be a public seminar on electric mobility and the environment. From Wednesday to Thursday, people can find out more about money laundering and financial crime trends at the annual European AML and financial crime conference.  And on Wednesday the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce hosts this webinar on the latest progress on Brexit.

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Jess Bauldry