Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Blood on Johnson’s hands
Ambulances arrive ‘with passengers from Heathrow’ Visitors were in hot spots & had nowhere else to be isolated
I ACCUSE. The blood of the coronavirus victim on the Diamond Princess is on Boris Johnson’s hands.
He failed to bring home British passengers stranded on the cruise liner, when he easily could have.
He sat on his fat hands in the
Foreign Secretary’s luxury retreat of Chevening in Kent instead of sending a plane to bring them home.
The Americans acted swiftly to bring home their nationals, as did other governments. Our Prime Minister did nothing. No COBRA meeting, no mercy flight by the RAF, no private jet.
His fellow Brits begged on live TV to be brought home where they could be treated by the NHS.
Boris Johnson has called a COBRA meeting for Monday to prepare for the likely spread of coronavirus here.
As usual, it’s too little, too late.
AMBULANCES thought to be carrying people who recently landed at Heathrow Airport have been going to a hotel commandeered by the Government.
There has been a steady stream of arrivals at the Holiday Inn, which was block-booked under coronavirus contingency measures.
Those being taken to the fourstar hotel near the airport are visitors to the UK who may have been exposed to Covid-19 in hot spots such as China, Iran or north Italy.
A man living near the hotel said: “It’s concerning to see all this activity. We have three children.
“We’d like to know more about why these ambulances are coming into the hotel. We have seen eight in the last two days. They should be giving us more information.”
Unlike Britons who have gone into self-isolation in their homes after visiting hot spots, these tourists or business visitors are unlikely to have anywhere else to go.
There has been no confirmation about anyone at the hotel having coronavirus symptoms.
Vehicles have to pass through a temporary 6ft-high barrier installed around the hotel grounds.
As ambulances arrive, security guards in face masks can be seen behind the barrier.
A van owned by Stericycle, a company specialising in biohazard waste disposal, has been spotted entering the hotel property.
Stericycle is working with the NHS to ensure no waste contaminated with coronavirus escapes into the wider environment.
A statement on its website says: “To mitigate risk associated with managing waste contaminated with 2019-COV, Stericycle has developed a dedicated procedure for the management of this waste.”
Delivery lorries thought to be containing catering and cleaning supplies have also arrived. Last night the IHG group, which owns
the hotel chain, confirmed the Department of Health has reserved Holiday Inn London – Heathrow Ariel for at least a month.
Any other guests who had booked have been relocated to other IHG hotels in the area. Access routes into the hotel in Hillingdon have been coned off.
The Holiday Inn quarantine site is the first in the capital. The Department of Health said it would not release details of any activity at the building.
Hundreds of Brits on evacuation flights out of the coronavirus epicentre in Wuhan, China, were the first to be placed in quarantine.
Most were taken to an NHS accommodation block at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral.
Other evacuees were driven from RAF bases to a hotel and conference centre in Milton Keynes, Bucks.
Last week 32 Brits who had been on the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan were repatriated and taken to the Wirral base. Four tested positive for the virus.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has urged anyone returning from towns in northern Italy to selfisolate for 14 days if they get flu-like symptoms. Four schools in England have shut for a “deep clean” after pupils returned from skiing trips.
British company PPS, which manufactures medical isolation pods, says staff have been rushed off their feet dealing with orders from around the world.
It has distributed pods to hospitals, armed forces and ambulance services.
Pam Parker, managing director of the firm in Milton Keynes, said: “We’re determined to do our bit to help stop the spread of coronavirus around the world. Over the last few weeks it’s been manic.”
The pods are for the temporary isolation of someone thought to have an infectious disease and can be used to take patients to hospital.
Sadly, it is highly likely there will be other British casualties.
The virus has disrupted schools, major sporting events and businesses.
The stock market has suffered its biggest one-week fall since the 2008 financial crash.
There are questions about whether the NHS has the ability to cope if Covid-19 reaches epidemic proportions.
While there is no cause to panic, the public have a right to be concerned.
At moments such as these they look for leadership and reassurance from the Government and on these counts Boris Johnson has proved woefully inadequate.
The Prime Minister is to chair a meeting of the emergency committee Cobra but not until Monday – unacceptable complacency.
During the 2007 foot-and-mouth crisis, PM Gordon Brown chaired Cobra meetings daily.
Opposition parties were kept fully informed and the Chief Vet held a daily press briefing.
We need a similarly robust response.