PM: WE CAN BEAT VIRUS IN 12 WEEKS

BRITAIN could ‘turn the tide’ on the coronavirus crisis in 12 weeks, Boris Johnson said last night.

The Prime Minister tried to inject some hope into his daily press conference by insisting the virus could be ‘sent packing’ within months – but only if people abide by the extraordinary restrictions designed to slow its spread.

‘I’m absolutely confident that we can send coronavirus packing in this country,’ Mr Johnson said.

Despite the bold prediction, the PM insisted he was not being ‘boosterish’ about the prospects of recovering from the bleak situation Britain faces. He said the ‘combination of ruthless, determined, collective action and scientific progress’ could save ‘many, many thousands of lives’.

But he admitted that observation of the ‘social distancing’ rules on avoiding unnecessary contact had been ‘patchy’ in parts of London, where the disease has taken hold most strongly. He hinted that further restrictions – including the possible

closure of pubs and restaurants in the city – could follow within days unless people stayed at home.

Today, Chancellor Rishi Sunak will try to provide another confidence boost by unveiling a major financial package designed to support the incomes of hundreds of thousands of workers whose jobs have been put at the risk by the Government’s clampdown.

A Government source said: ‘In terms of scale, the package will match the problem – and that means big.’

The PM’s intervention came as:

▪ Exams in Scotland’s schools were cancelled for the first time ever;

▪ Scots schools and state nurseries will shut from today, with pupils facing up to five months away from the classroom;

▪ The Queen urged people to comply with controls to slow the spread of the virus;

▪ Edinburgh Airport said it is shedding at least 100 jobs as it faces ‘close to zero’ passenger demand in coming months;

▪ A winter night shelter run by a Christian charity in Glasgow was forced to close after a user and a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus;

▪ It was revealed that there are now 266 confirmed cases of the virus in Scotland with six deaths;

▪ The UK death toll jumped by 40 to 144, while the number of cases increased by more than 600;

▪ The Bank of England slashed interest rates to 0.1 per cent – the lowest level ever – in a bid to prop up the economy;

‘Please, please follow the advice’

▪ The Prime Minister urged struggling firms not to sack staff;

▪ The PM revealed the Government was in negotiations about buying a new test to detect whether people had had the virus, and overall testing could be ramped up to 250,000 a day;

▪ Emergency legislation was published, giving the police the power to detain people for up to six weeks on public health grounds;

▪ Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said ministers are in talks with airlines about operating new flights to help up to one million Brits stranded abroad get home;

▪ The PM denied reports that London would face a transport ‘lockdown’;

Amid more extraordinary scenes of panic buying, competition laws were relaxed to allow supermarkets to pool staff and deliveries;

▪ Downing Street insisted there would be no delay to Brexit trade talks, despite the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier testing positive for the virus;

▪ Italy overtook China as the global epicentre of the pandemic as deaths hit 3,405 – 160 more than China.

Speaking at a No 10 press conference, the PM acknowledged the restrictions were making life ‘difficult’ for millions, and said people wanted to know how long they would have to ‘keep it up’.

‘I know it’s tough, I know it’s difficult... but please, please follow the advice,’ he said.

Mr Johnson praised the millions of people who are abiding by the pleas to work from home and avoid pubs and other social gatherings. But he acknowledged that the virus ‘does not seem yet to be responding to our interventions’.

Downing Street yesterday moved to close down reports of a total lockdown of London, saying there was ‘zero prospect’ of travel being restricted in and out of the city. No10 also rubbished ‘irresponsible’ reports claiming that families could be restricted to having just one person outside the home at any one time.

However, Transport for London yesterday closed 40 Tube stations in the UK capital, and

Mayor Sadiq Khan said services would be cut back further in the coming days.

Reports of an imminent clampdown yesterday sparked a fresh wave of panic buying in London. The PM appealed to shoppers across the country to behave responsibly, saying: ‘Please be reasonable in your shopping, be considerate and thoughtful for others as you do it.’ He also warned the nation’s retailers against ‘profiteering’ on scarce goods.

But Mr Johnson appeared anxious to provide families with some hope that the draconian clampdown on normal life would pay off.

‘I’m often accused of being unnecessarily boosterish about things and I certainly don’t want to strike that note today,’ he said.

‘But I genuinely think... we will turn the tide and we will get through it.’

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said young people should not assume they could ‘breeze through’ the epidemic, adding that some would get seriously ill.

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