The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Coronavirus: Pandemic fight stepped up
Public warned loved ones at risk as pandemic continues to spread
Boris Johnson has warned the public to brace for the “worst public health crisis in a generation” as he stepped up coronavirus preparations last night.
Anyone with a new persistent cough or high temperature is now advised to self-isolate for seven days and school trips abroad will be banned, under the UK Government’s virus action plan.
Older people and those with preexisting health conditions have also been told not to go on cruises.
Announcing the measures after an emergency Cobra meeting, Mr Johnson said: “Some people compare it to seasonal flu, alas that is not right. Owing to the lack of immunity, this disease is more dangerous.
“It is going to spread further and I must level with you, I must level with the British public: many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time.”
Mr Johnson warned that the most dangerous period is still some weeks away as he stressed that the “lines of defence” must be deployed at the right time to maximise their effect.
He said: “The most important task will be to protect our elderly and most vulnerable people during the peak weeks when there is the maximum risk of exposure to the disease and when the NHS will be under the most pressure.
“So the most dangerous period is not now but some weeks away depending on how fast it spreads.”
He stressed the more “draconian” measures, such as banning sporting events and closing schools, must not be triggered too early.
The measures came as two more deaths were announced in British hospitals, bringing the total to 10, while the number of people testing positive for coronavirus reached almost 600.
Mr Johnson’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance warned that while the official infection figure was in the mid hundreds, scientific modelling has shown it could be as high as 10,000.