Coronavirus: Johnson urges ‘non-essential’ contact to stop
ALL people in the UK should avoid pubs, clubs and theatres, stop all non-essential contact and travel, and work from home if they can, Boris Johnson has said.
The Prime Minister set out the need for “drastic action” to tackle the “fast growth” of coronavirus across the UK as increased social distancing measures are introduced for the population.
It came as Health Secretary Matt Hancock said 55 people in the UK have now died after testing positive for the coronavirus, including the first death in Wales, a patient from Wrexham.
As part of the measures, anyone living in a household with somebody who has either a persistent cough or fever must now also isolate themselves for 14 days.
All people should avoid gatherings and crowded places, while people who are vulnerable – including those who are elderly – will need to undertake even more drastic measures.
The Prime Minister said that according to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) “it looks as though we are now approaching the fast growth part of the upward curve” in the number of cases.
“Without drastic action cases could double every five or six days,” he said.
Mr Johnson said that from today mass gatherings are something “we are now moving emphatically away from”.
He said “if you or anyone in your household” had one of the two symptoms – a high temperature or continuous cough – “you should stay at home for 14 days.
“That means that if possible you should not go out, even to buy food or essentials, other than for exercise and in that case at a safe distance from others.”
In a dramatic escalation of the Government’s response, Mr Johnson said all members of the public needed to take extra action.
“Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel,” he said.
Mr Johnson appeared to be “a few weeks ahead” of other areas and urged people in the capital to pay special attention to the measures – including home working – suggested by the Government.
Mr Johnson added: “We want to ensure that this period of shielding, this period of maximum protection, coincides with the peak of the disease and it is now clear that the peak of the epidemic is coming faster in some parts of the country than in others.”
He also said “unnecessary” visits to friends and relatives in care homes should cease.
Mr Johnson said the advice about avoiding all social contact was particularly important for people over 70, for pregnant women and for those with some health conditions.
By the weekend, those groups particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 will be asked to stay at home for 12 weeks to ensure they are “largely shielded from social contact”, he said.
The Government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said these latest measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 would have a “big effect”.
“This is not a series of small interventions. You would anticipate that this could have a dramatic effect to reduce the peak and to reduce death rates,” he said.
“This is a matter for us to take accountability to make sure we help each other, protect ourselves and protect the NHS.”
Sir Patrick said the UK is now looking “more like three weeks” behind Italy, the epicentre of the
European outbreak of Covid-19.
He said other measures may be necessary – including school closures – at some point.
Chief medical officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, said measures to tackle the spread of the disease would need to be in place for a “prolonged period” and that the Government was trying to prevent “indirect deaths” – where people die because they cannot get the right medical care.
He added: “This is going to go on for some time. We should not be under any illusions that ‘if we just do this for a couple of weeks that is sufficient.’
Prof Whitty said the group of people who should take this advice