The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Stewart calling for early shutdown of schools and public transport systems
The UK’S public transport systems and schools should be shut down early to combat the spread of coronavirus, according to independent mayoral candidate Rory Stewart.
Mr Stewart, from Crieff, said the “short-term economic damage” of shutting down Transport for London, for instance, would be worth it to “stave off a bigger spread”.
Mr Stewart, who visited Nigeria in his role as international development secretary during last year’s ebola outbreak, said last night the government and local authorities needed to act fast to stop a wider outbreak.
He said “aggressive” measures taken by China should provide a guide for Britain.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Mr Stewart said: “The problem around these tables if you’re sitting at a Cobra meeting is the expert advice is never quite definitive, people are learning all the time.
“So, a question such as ‘what is the point you shut schools’ or ultimately ‘what is the point at which you shut a public transport system’, there will be so many voices around the table who are going to be pushing to say let’s just give it another day or two.
“My experience watching people deal with ebola in the eastern Democratic Congo and indeed with other situations is you have to act early.
“If you look at the projections being made worldwide for mortality rates it doesn’t at the moment look as though China is going to hit those kind of rates and my sense is aggressive containment and taking short-term economic damage is definitely worth doing if you can stave off the bigger spread.”