Another day of virtual meetings, phone calls and plenty of correspondence. One heart-rending email really summed up this pandemic fiasco for me. A constituent's father was not allowed to hold the hand of his dying wife in a care home because of the end-of-life rules set by the provider. They had to keep two metres apart, meaning they could not even communicate either, as the gentleman's wife could only speak in a whisper. I was requested to push this example up the chain and I have willingly done so. The first virtual meeting was another of our regular ones with Dorset Council and my parliamentary colleagues. As you can imagine, the move from tier 1 to tier 2 provoked some debate! A 1000 call to the Cabinet Office did not happen this morning, so I emailed them the two issues I wanted to raise. One of them was the appalling case I've highlighted at the start of this entry. Then it was a virtual meeting - or was supposed to be, as my laptop was playing up - with Adam and Denise Huggett, who are trying to push a defence-orientated business on Dorset Council and are seeking to establish themselves at the innovation park at Winfrith. I am doing what I can to help. At 1430, Jacob Rees-Mogg kindly joined a virtual session with some of my Patrons. As always, he gave a lucid and interesting talk and then took questions. Afterwards, I took some time to address the Patrons myself and take their questions. It was a lively and fun 90 minutes, with many views exchanged. Meanwhile, the row over this new tier system continued to grow, with many of my colleagues threatening to rebel next Tuesday. Channel 4 led with news that the R number for coronavirus has fallen to between 0.9 and 1 for the first time since mid-August, which means the epidemic is thought to be no longer growing. From Wednesday in England, more than 32 million people are due to be living under tier two restrictions, banning indoor meetings between households. A further 23 million people will be placed under the highest - tier three - restrictions, which further limit contact between people outdoors. Boris Johnson has defended the approach, arguing the country needs "simplicity and clarity" and the restrictions would "drive" Covid down until a vaccine is available. This reliance on a vaccine is flawed, as we do not have it yet, nor do we know how many people can have it when it does become available. Yes, a vaccine is to welcomed, of course, but lockdowns are predicted to remain until the spring, leading to more devastation of our economy. In the world of business, BBC News and earlier ITV broadcasts led with news that Sir Philip Green's retail empire Arcadia, which includes Topshop, Burton and Dorothy Perkins, is understood to be on the brink of collapse. Sir Philip had been in talks with potential lenders about borrowing £30 million to help the business through Christmas. However, these talks have failed and administrators could be appointed on Monday, putting 13,000 jobs at risk. Finally, the UK and EU will resume face-to-face Brexit trade talks in London this weekend, as negotiators race to reach a deal before a looming deadline.