VIRUS: IT’S A PANDEMIC ÷UK cases more than double in just 4 days ÷PM set to admit only hope is to delay peak

MINISTERS will step up their war against coronavirus today after the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak had become a pandemic.

Britain is set to switch from a ‘contain’ policy to ‘delay’, with advice on ‘social distancing’ to stop the disease from spreading.

Hospitals are preparing to cancel thousands of non-urgent operations to free up beds, while sporting events, concerts and festivals scheduled for the next few weeks are likely to be cancelled or held behind closed doors.

The elderly and those with long-term illnesses will be advised to stay at home when the epidemic hits its peak in Britain. Healthy adults will be advised to work from home where possible.

Boris Johnson is expected to usher in the ‘delay’ phase at a Cobra meeting today after the UK saw its biggest jump in infections in a single day. The total rose by 83 to 456 yesterday – meaning it has more than doubled in just four days. The new cases include health minister Nadine Dorries and a resident at a Hampshire care home.

Another two elderly patients were confirmed to have been killed by the virus yesterday, taking the death toll in the UK to eight.

A Briton has also died from coronavirus during a luxury family holiday in Bali. The 59-year-old had been staying at the five-star Four Seasons hotel.

Her husband was in hospital under observation yesterday, while her four children were in quarantine. She reportedly had several underlying health conditions, including diabetes, chronic lung disease and hypertension.

The deaths came as the WHO warned some countries had been complacent over the outbreak as it upgraded its status to that of a pandemic.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director-general, said he had been calling for ‘urgent and aggressive action’ on a daily basis, adding: ‘We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction.

‘We have therefore made the assessment that Covid-19 can be characterised as a pandemic.’

Dr Ghebreyesus said some countries were struggling with a ‘lack of resources’ – but others had shown a ‘lack of resolve’.

The WHO’s declaration is a recognition that the outbreak has spread across multiple countries beyond initial predictions. Its official definition of a pandemic is ‘an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people’.

Until now, ministers in Britain have been trying to contain the spread of the virus but they now accept this is impossible.

Instead, they will focus on delaying the peak of the epidemic to the spring or summer, which would be less disastrous timing for the NHS.

Officials are also hoping to ‘flatten the peak’ – reducing the number of patients infected at any one time, to lessen the impact on hospitals. They remain reluctant to close schools as they are concerned that many doctors and nurses will be forced to stay at home to look after their children.

Despite this, some schools are considering extending their Easter holidays by an extra week on each side – meaning the two-week break would be lengthened to four.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock re-iterated yesterday that the Government had ‘no plans for a mass closure of schools’. Addressing the Commons, he said: ‘Of course individual schools sometimes will be advised to be closed, but because one of the saving graces of this virus is that it doesn’t have a big impact on children, it means there are fewer benefits to closing schools.’

He also stressed that Parliament would remain open despite his own health minister becoming one of the latest cases.

‘The ability to hold the Government to account and to legislate are as vital in a time of emergency as in normal times,’ he said. ‘Our democracy is the foundation of our way of life.’

Mr Hancock also said he wanted to ‘get his hands on’ as many additional frontline NHS staff as possible, including retired doctors, trainee nurses and medical nurses. He added that special advice would be issued to care homes later this week which could lead to visitors being banned or restricted.

Britons could even be advised to self-isolate even if they have the mildest of symptoms – such as a cough or cold – as suggested by Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty earlier this week.

A Whitehall source said: ‘The health experts will present a set of options on what we could do, the benefits of each and the disruption they would cause.’

Michael Gove warned yesterday that the virus could delay the next round of Brexit trade talks with Brussels.

Asked about the negotiations scheduled for London next week, Mr Gove told the Commons Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union: ‘It’s a live question. We were looking forward to the next stage of the negotiations going ahead... but we have had indications today from Belgium that there may be a specific public health concern.’

‘Flatten the peak’