Williams CEO and team principal Jost Capito will miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID-19. The 63-year-old German’s positive test was announced by the team on the morning of the eve of the inaugural race weekend on the Jeddah Street Circuit. As UK government guidance is for an individual to self-isolate for 10 days from the first day of their COVID symptoms or, if none are being experienced, the day of the positive test, it means Capito is also likely to miss the 2021 finale, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, on December 12 and the post-season test, also at Yas Marina, straight afterwards. A statement from the Williams team said: “Williams Racing can confirm CEO and Team Principal Jost Capito has tested positive for COVID-19 prior to travelling to Jeddah for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. “Jost is now following UK national health authority guidelines. There has been no wider impact on Williams Racing personnel and the team will continue to …
Covid 19
Capito to miss Saudi Arabian GP after positive COVID-19 test
Williams said in a statement on Thursday ahead of the inaugural race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit that Capito had not travelled to Saudi Arabia as a result of his positive test. "Williams Racing can confirm that CEO and team principal Jost Capito has tested positive for COVID-19 prior to travelling to Jeddah for this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix," reads a short statement from the team. "Jost is now following UK national health authority guidelines. There has been no wider impact on Williams Racing personnel and the team will continue to operate trackside as planned." All F1 personnel travelling to Saudi Arabia from the UK for this weekend's race were required to undergo a PCR test within 72 hours of travelling, before then completing a second test upon arrival in Jeddah. This weekend will mark the first grand prix for Williams since the death of its founder and former team principal, Sir Frank Williams, who passed away last weekend. Both Williams and F1 are …
F1: Williams team principal Capito to miss Saudi Arabian GP after positive Covid test · RaceFans
Williams CEO and team principal Jost Capito will miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after testing positive for Covid-19, the team has confirmed. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free In a statement released by Williams on Thursday morning, the team confirmed that Capito “tested positive for Covid-19 prior to travelling to Jeddah for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix”. Despite the positive test for their team principal, Williams say that there has been “no wider impact on Williams Racing personnel and the team will continue to operate trackside as planned”. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend will be a poignant one for the Grove-based team who will be mourning the loss of the team’s founder, Sir Frank Williams, following the 79-year-old’s death last week . The team will run a tribute to him on their cars. Williams head to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in eighth place in the constructors’ championship on 23 points – 12 ahead of Alfa Romeo. Notable …
German leaders plan crackdown on unjabbed to tackle Covid surge
Chancellor Merkel and her designated successor Scholz are in talks to tackle Covid infections in Germany. BERLIN: German leaders including Chancellor Angela Merkel and her designated successor Olaf Scholz are expected to approve a de-facto "lockdown for the unvaccinated" on Thursday to combat surging Covid cases. Merkel, Scholz and the leaders of Germany's 16 states tightened Covid restrictions just two weeks ago, but are in talks again to impose even tougher measures amid a raging fourth wave of the virus. According to a draft agreement seen by AFP, the plans include a blanket ban on entering bars, restaurants, theatres, cinemas and other leisure facilities for anyone who has not been vaccinated or recovered from Covid -- a system known as 2G in Germany. The unvaccinated would also be banned from Christmas markets and non-essential shops, as well as be hit by contact restrictions limiting the number of people they can socialise with. The agreement also calls for new …
A year of Covid jabs, but treatments lag behind
Pfizer handout photo of its experimental Covid-19 antiviral pills being made at its laboratory in Freiburg, Germany. (Photo: Pfizer / AFP) PARIS: After a year of vaccines aimed at preventing Covid, treatments for people infected with the virus are few, with most restricted to hospital use and extremely pricey. Here is a look at treatment options available to Covid patients and how accessible they are. - Pills to pop - It's every doctor's dream: a pill to prescribe after a positive test to calm Covid and avoid serious illness -- but a safe and very effective anti-Covid pill has yet to be found. The most advanced medications are molnupiravir, developed by Merck/MSD and sold under the name Lagevrio, and Paxlovid from Pfizer. They are antiviral medications that slow down illness by reducing the virus's capacity to reproduce within the body. Lagevrio was approved for emergency use in the EU and is in the process of being authorised in the US. But while preliminary results of …
Tokyo to build on Thai ties
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike addresses attendees via video recording during the Bangkok Post International Forum 2021yesterday. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb) Yuriko Koike, Tokyo's first woman governor, wants Thais to see a "new" version of Japan's capital once it is ready to receive visitors, forging more people-to-people ties between the two countries. Speaking virtually during the Bangkok Post International Forum 2021 on Thursday, which was held under the theme of "Unleashing the Future: A Glimpse into 2022 and Beyond", Ms Yuriko said she hopes the people of Thailand can soon enjoy the "new Tokyo". She said the Japanese city has many wonderful features such as natural beauty, clean air and water, culture and entertainment. "We hope we can overcome the [Covid-19] pandemic, and from 2022 onward [we are promoting] people-to-people exchange efforts," she told Thais and foreigners in a three-minute video clip. "We will welcome you all with Japanese style and hospitality." Ms …
Industry chiefs upbeat on outlook
“In the next year, a lot of ATMs will disappear as they will be replaced by a cashless payment system on apps. A cashless society is coming faster than ever,” said Jirayut Srupsrisopa, founder and group chief executive of Bitkub Capital Group. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb) Business leaders are optimistic about post-pandemic opportunities, with digital technology, online transactions and environmental concerns driving new trends. Jirayut Srupsrisopa, founder and group chief executive of Bitkub Capital Group, Isao Sekiguchi, president of Nissan Motor (Thailand), and Jackie Chang, president of Delta Electronics (Thailand), shared business lessons from the pandemic and looked ahead at the Bangkok Post International Forum 2021, with the theme “Unleashing the Future: A Glimpse into 2022 and Beyond”. EVOLVE OR DIE Mr Jirayut said the Thai financial market needs to adapt to the digital world. The technology 3.0 era will come with the metaverse, and traditional financial institutions …
AirAsia CEO ‘bullish’ on beating Omicron
AirAsia Group chief executive Tony Fernandes shares his views during Bangkok Post’s International Forum 2021 dubbed “Unleashing the Future: A Glimpse into 2022 and Beyond” on Thursday. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb) AirAsia Group chief executive Tony Fernandes has urged governments to stop “overreacting” to the emergence of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 and focus on reducing the cost of PCR testing instead. “It’s a huge overreaction. We don’t know anything about this variant yet. Let’s wait and see before we jump the gun,” Mr Fernandes said at a virtual address at Bangkok Post’s International Forum 2021 dubbed “Unleashing the Future: A Glimpse into 2022 and Beyond” on Thursday. The chief executive of the low-cost carrier said the world is more equipped and better prepared to deal with Omicron — first detected in South Africa — than previous strains. “There are Merck pills, and Pfizer pills are coming out. We are vaccinated. There are boosters available. I’m feeling much …
Man who put razor blades in pizza dough sentenced to prison
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A man accused of putting razor blades and screws in pizza dough at supermarkets in Maine and New Hampshire was sentenced Thursday to four years and nine months in federal prison. The sentencing of Nicholas Mitchell, 39, of Dover, New Hampshire, followed an agreement with prosecutors in which he pleaded guilty in June to one of two counts of tampering with a consumer product. He also must pay nearly $230,000 in restitution to Hannaford Supermarkets. The hearing proceeded even though Mitchell was recovering from a recent bout of COVID-19 contracted in jail. The judge told him the nature of the crime spread fear in the community and Mitchell tearfully apologized for his actions. Mitchell was arrested in October 2020 after razor blades were found in pizza dough sold at a Hannaford store in Saco. Three customers bought the tainted product in Saco and discovered the blades hidden in the dough, prosecutors said. Product tampering also occurred at Hannaford …