The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Need for ‘self-isolation’ to halt virus suggested
Release of first group to be quarantined, who are hailed as setting example
Many more people in the UK may need to self-isolate in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus, the chief executive of the NHS said.
Sir Simon Stevens issued the warning as more than 80 people quarantined at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral were allowed to leave following 14 days in isolation.
The group were the first to be flown out of Wuhan city in China – the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak – by the Foreign Office and back to the UK.
Sir Simon said: “They have set an important example, recognising that over the coming weeks many more of us may need to self-isolate at home for a period to reduce this virus’s spread.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said those quarantined had been given a clean bill of health and people “can be reassured that their departure presents no risk to the public”.
Earlier, England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said what happens with coronavirus – also known as Covid-19 – could go one of two ways, with the first scenario seeing the Chinese government getting on top of the epidemic and then a limited impact on the rest of the world.
While it is “highly likely” the UK will see more cases, it is possible the epidemic will go away, possibly aided by a change in the seasons which could dampen the spread of the virus, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Prof Whitty said: “The alternative is that it’s not possible to contain in China and this then starts (to spread) – probably initially quite slowly – around the world and then unless the seasons come to our rescue, then it is going to come to a situation where we have it in Europe and the UK in due course.”
Meanwhile, the number of deaths from coronavirus in China jumped to more than 1,350, with more than 60,000 recorded infections, as senior figures in Hubei province were dismissed amid criticism over the handling of the outbreak.
And 44 more people on quarantined cruise ship the Diamond Princess in Japan have tested positive for Covid-19 disease. Two of those are Britons.
Meanwhile, the number of people tested for coronavirus in Scotland has risen by 42 in a day, but all have proved to be negative.
So far 148 people have been tested for the strain of coronavirus known as Covid-19, but none has tested positive.
Across the UK, 2,521 people have been tested for Covid-19 so far, with 2,512 confirmed as negative and nine positive.