Britain looks to extend aid for businesses

After warnings of a challenging winter, loan programs reviewed, report says

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, is expected this week to announce plans to extend business loan programs amid warnings the novel coronavirus will cause "a very challenging winter".

The extension of the programs, which have already provided businesses with 53 billion pounds' ($68 billion) worth of support, show the level of concern about the possibility of significant numbers of businesses collapsing, and jobs being lost.

On Monday, England's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, and the government's chief scientific advisor, Patrick Vallance, gave a bleak outlook on the United Kingdom's efforts to control the pandemic.