Warning UK ‘on edge of losing control’
3,000 CASES RECORDED ON CONSECUTIVE DAYS
MORE than 3,000 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the UK for the second day in a row as a top scientist warned that the country is “on the edge of losing control” of Covid-19.
It is the first time since midMay that recorded cases have been above 3,000 on consecutive days.
The Government said that, as of 9am yesterday, there had been a further 3,497 lab-confirmed cases in the UK – slightly lower than the 3,539 cases recorded on Friday.
Former chief scientific adviser and member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) Sir Mark Walport said the only way to stop the virus spreading is to reduce the number of people we all come into contact with, adding that there is an “extremely strong argument” that home working should continue.
Tough new Covid-19 lockdown measures were announced for parts of the UK on Friday as cases continued to rise and as the R number – the reproduction number of coronavirus transmission – climbed above one.
According to Government advisers, the last time R was above one was in early March.
When asked whether the UK was still in control of the spread of the virus, Sir Mark said: “I think one would have to say that we’re on the edge of losing control.”
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “You’ve only got to look across the Channel to see what’s happening in France, what’s happening in Spain.
“The French on Thursday had 9,800 new infections and one
can see their hospital admissions and indeed their intensive care admissions are going up.”
He added: “The short answer is the only way to stop the spread of this infection is to reduce the number of people we all come into contact with, that lowers the risk.
“It’s a very, very fine balancing act.
“It’s very important to get youngsters back to school, people to university, but it means we’re going to have to hold back our contacts in other areas.”
The professor said he was “definitely” still working from home, and told the programme: “Where people can work from home, there’s an extremely strong argument that they should do so.”