⁍ British finance minister Rishi Sunak is weighing options to shelve his autumn budget if Britain is hit by a big second wave of the coronavirus.

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⁍ While Sunak expects to deliver his budget as planned, it is a sign of government anxiety over a possible autumn COVID-19 spike.

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⁍ Britain risks a second wave of COVID-19 in the winter twice as large as the initial outbreak if it reopens schools full-time without improving its test-and-trace system.

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– British finance minister Rishi Sunak is weighing options—including delaying his fall budget—to deal with a potential second wave of coronavirus, the Financial Times reports. The first wave of the virus, known as COVID-19, killed dozens of people and sickened hundreds more in the spring and summer. If a second wave hits this fall, it could be twice as large, according to a study published last week. The government wants all children to return to school by early September, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling this a national priority. In the event the budget is postponed—probably until spring 2021—Sunak would be expected to produce a “mini-spending review” in the fall, allocating spending to departments for just a single year, the FT reports. Sunak is expected to deliver his budget as planned, but the delay is a sign of government anxiety over a possible fall COVID-19 spike that he is ready to delay big public spending decisions until after the crisis, the FT reports. Britain risks a second wave of COVID-19 in the winter if it reopens schools full-time without improving its test-and-trace system, according to a study published last week. The government wants all pupils to return to school by early September, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling this a national priority. In the event the budget is postponed—probably until spring 2021—Sunak would be expected to produce a ‘mini-spending review’ in the fall, allocating spending to departments for just a single year.