Britons with sick family face having to self-isolate under pandemic plan

BRITONS could be told to isolate themselves if a family member falls sick during a coronavirus pandemic.

Schools may also be shut, transport networks suspended and football matches and other public gatherings postponed, according to possibilities being considered by Department of Health officials.

Their coronavirus pandemic plan will be rolled out if the number of British cases escalates suddenly.

They are weighing up the effect of each action to contain the disease against the impact on society and the economy. For example, closing schools would force millions of parents to stay at home, including essential health workers such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists.

Other measures could include advising members of the public to keep a safe distance from each other and avoid kissing or hugging.

Separately, the Department of Health revealed yesterday it was stockpiling two drugs that could be used to treat the disease – Ritonavir, which is normally used for HIV, and Chloroquine, which is used for malaria. Both have been banned temporarily from being exported.

Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, said: ‘There’s a variety of things we need to look at in every epidemic. You look at things like school closures, you look at reducing transport, all of those sorts of things. The expectation is not that we will do all those things.’

Referring to the best course of action for Britons with a sick family member, he said: ‘We would already recommend staying at home yourself. A stage up from that – I’m not saying we would recommend it – would be saying, “If you’re ill with this, or probably ill with this, you should stay at home and the rest of your family should stay at home as well”.

‘It’s one of the things we would think about.’