Mass gatherings to be banned
PM performs U-turn as he says from next week any event with large crowds will not go ahead, after the Premier League suspends season
SPORTING events, concerts and other “mass gatherings” will be cancelled from next week after Boris Johnson performed an about-turn over the Government’s handling of coronavirus.
The Prime Minister decided to ban major events just 24 hours after insisting he would not be following Scotland’s lead in outlawing crowds of more than 500 people.
It came after the Premier League took matters into its own hands and announced the suspension of the football season until next month and the London Marathon was postponed until October by its organisers.
As the number of confirmed UK coronavirus cases leapt from 590 to 798, Whitehall sources admitted the situation was now “accelerating very quickly”, prompting Mr Johnson’s change of heart over a crowd ban.
It means events such as Wimbledon, the Glastonbury Festival, Royal Ascot, the Grand National and the Boat Race could be axed, as new laws allow the Government to pay out compensation.
Downing Street is also in discussions with business bodies about “the timing of moving towards much more widespread working from home”.
The Daily Telegraph has learnt that ministers will discuss closing schools for an extra week either side of the Easter holiday at a meeting with teachers’ representatives on Monday as the UK prepares for a step change in its response to the virus.
Yesterday, Mr Johnson postponed the May local and mayoral elections for a year amid fears they would coincide with the pandemic’s peak, while the Queen cancelled engagements other than one-to-one Palace audiences and the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall cancelled their spring overseas tour with just four days’ notice.
The Government also banned anyone who is “generally unwell” from visiting care homes, but stopped short of closing homes to visitors altogether.
Parliament announced a limit on visitor access from Monday and a ban on social events and non-essential meetings outside the Commons and the Lords chambers, as the total number of MPS in self-isolation reached 17.
The Foreign Office advised against all but essential travel to large areas of Spain after the country declared a national emergency, while Italy’s virus death toll leapt by a quarter to 1,266. Malta announced that anyone arriving in the country would be quarantined for 14 days and Vietnam banned UK visitors, starting tomorrow.
The US president last night warned that the UK could be added to the list of countries banned from travelling to America as he declared a national emergency. Donald Trump added that he is likely to be tested for the coronavirus “fairly soon”, after it was announced Fabio Wajngarten, the Brazilian president’s press secretary, tested positive for the virus days after meeting with Mr Trump.
Last night, a newborn baby became the youngest person in the UK to test positive for coronavirus.
The national response to the virus was ramped up after Mr Johnson was criticised for his failure to take tough measures. The World Health Organisation was among bodies to advise a more comprehensive approach.
The ban on mass gatherings – likely to take effect next weekend – will be backed by emergency legislation that will be in force by the end of the month.
Mr Johnson has not decided on the maximum number of people allowed in one place, but sources suggested it could be larger than the limit of 500 set by Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister, because of different regulations north and south of the border.
It has been reported that as part of the emergency legislation, to be published next week, police will get extra powers to detain people infected with the virus and schools could be forced to stay open. Councils will also be able to lower standards in care homes to deal with staff shortages. The laws are likely to stay in place for two years.
The legislation will also enable councils to speed up cremations and burials due to a shortage of mortuary space.
A Whitehall source said: “Ministers are working with the chief scientific adviser and chief medical officer on our plan to stop various types of public events, including mass gatherings, beginning next week.”
The source said the Government still
798 CORONAVIRUS CASES IN UK +35% 11 DEATHS
believed banning crowds would do little to slow the spread of the virus, but ministers were “concerned about the burden large events put on public services – including the health service and the police – dealing with coronavirus”.
On Thursday, Mr Johnson said the opposite, claiming there was no need to ban large events because public services remained “resilient”.
One source said crowds as large as 5,000 could still be allowed – sparing theatres, cinemas and smaller concert venues – as that was the point at which ambulance provision was mandatory.
The Whitehall source added: “Officials are working with industry bodies to identify how to support businesses that will be affected by this decision.”
Emergency legislation will include powers for schools to increase class sizes in order to stay open if teachers are ill.
School leaders believe there is a “real logic” to extending the Easter holidays, because it could help slow the virus’s spread without stopping exams. Head teachers will speak to ministers about emergency plans next week, though the Government has so far been reluctant to close schools.
Mr Johnson has until now insisted it is too soon to implement draconian measures, insisting people would become “fatigued” and stop following advice just as the virus reached its peak, overwhelming the NHS.
Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, said the strategy was not to prevent everyone getting the virus, but simply to manage its spread. He said 60 per cent of the population would need to catch it to develop “herd immunity” and prevent a second wave.
Prof Jimmy Whitworth, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said: “I am surprised that stronger measures haven’t been introduced at this stage but I anticipate they will come in the next week or two. The longer we delay in introducing social-distancing measures, the harder it is for these to be effective.”