Confusion over advice to elderly

Manufacturers urged to build more ventilators as demand for critical care likely to climb

The UK’s coronavirus death toll rose to 35 as it was revealed the UK Government will ask elderly people to self-isolate for up to four months.

The Department of Health (DoH) said 14 more patients have died in England after testing positive for Covid-19.

This follows the 10 deaths announced on Saturday.

A total of 34 people have died from the virus in England, while there has been one death in Scotland.

NHS England said the patients whose deaths were announced yesterday were aged between 59 and 94, and they had underlying health conditions.

There have been a total of 1,372 positive tests for coronavirus in the UK as of 9am yesterday, up from 1,140 at the same time on Saturday, the DoH said.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said people aged over 70 will be asked in the coming weeks to self-isolate for up to four months, in order to protect them from the virus.

However, Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the government north of the border would not be recommending such a measure.

Asked if the four-month time frame was in the government’s plan, Mr Hancock told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday: “That is in the action plan, yes, and we will be setting it out with more detail when it is the right time to do so, because we absolutely appreciate that it is a very big ask of the elderly and the vulnerable, and it’s for their own selfprotection.”

Pressed on when the measure will be introduced, he said: “Certainly in the coming weeks, absolutely.”

He also confirmed that ministers were seeking to give police powers to arrest and forcibly quarantine people who are sick with the virus but are not self-isolating.

“We are going to take the powers to make sure that we can quarantine people if they are a risk to public health, yes, and that’s important,” he told The Andrew Marr Show on the BBC.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will personally urge manufacturers to shift their production lines to build ventilators, amid concerns that critical care facilities will come under intense pressure.

Mr Hancock said: “The thing the NHS needs now more than anything else is more ventilators. We’ve been buying as many as we can but we need to produce more too.”

He said he could not make guarantees that everyone who requires a ventilator will get one, saying: “We don’t make guarantees in healthcare.”

Engineers have already been asked to draw up plans to quickly produce more ventilators in the UK, with JCB confirming it had been approached by the prime minister regarding the production of such equipment.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the government is “well behind the curve” in its handling of the crisis and said it should be “at the very least giving a daily briefing” about what is going on.

Mr Corbyn said: “There has to be much clearer guidance but also much better support.”

Downing Street responded by announcing Boris Johnson or one of his senior ministers will hold daily press conferences to update the public on the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

British Retail Consortium members sent a joint letter to consumers urging everyone to work together to ensure there is enough food for the country.

The letter aims to reassure customers, while calling on them to support each other during the crisis.

It said: “We would ask everyone to be considerate in the way they shop.

“We understand your concerns, but buying more than is needed can sometimes mean that others will be left without.”