Panic sets in as Brighton finds itself at centre of virus scare
AS Brighton and Hove found itself at the epicentre of Britain’s coronavirus scare, worried residents complained they were being kept in the dark.
A doctor’s surgery closed, chemists sold out of masks and hand sanitiser, and parents said they would refuse to send their children to school as the number of coronavirus cases in the UK doubled within 24 hours.
Of four new confirmed cases, two are GPS who are understood to have contracted the illness from a “superspreader” during a skiing trip in the French Alps.
One was named as Catriona Greenwood, the wife of Bob Saynor, the environmental consultant diagnosed in France. It was at their chalet that 11 Britons who have now tested positive had socialised last month.
Dr Greenwood had worked at County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton until last June but popped back to see a handful of patients as a locum before showing any symptoms.
Government sources said that the two doctors involved had treated around a dozen patients between them before falling ill.
As soon as the test results were confirmed, the surgery closed its doors “because of an urgent operational health and safety reason”.
In a statement, Yvonne Doyle, Public Health England (PHE) medical director confirmed that all new cases were “closely linked” to one another.
She added: “Our priority has been to speak to those who have close and sustained contact with confirmed cases, so we can advise them on what they can do to limit the spread of the virus.”
Staff at a local community centre were also told to “self-isolate” after a confirmed coronavirus carrier took part in a yoga class.
Easyjet revealed that two passengers who had recently travelled from Geneva to Gatwick on Jan 31 and Feb 3 had been diagnosed with the virus.
PHE is contacting all passengers who were seated near the victims.
Meanwhile, St Mary’s Independent School in Bitterne Park, Southampton, shut its doors after students who had recently travelled to South East Asia and Singapore developed symptoms similar to the coronavirus. They were tested at Southampton General Hospital and sent home to self-isolate.
A Sussex University student was also taken to hospital after falling ill after a trip overseas. Footage showed paramedics in protective suits taking the student away in an ambulance.
It came after a student at Portslade Aldridge Community Academy in Brighton was told to stay at home after coming into contact with the so-called “super-spreader”. The middle-aged man, who has not been identified, contracted the virus during a business conference in Singapore.
Lauren Mclellan, 32, from Brighton, said she would keep her children at home until the school was proved safe. “The school has hardly told us anything,” she told The Daily Telegraph.
“The Government needs to tell people what’s really going on.
“Parents are really worried, and for good reason. Until I’m absolutely certain that my kids are safe in that school, they’ll be staying at home.”
The Cornerstone centre in Hove announced it would close for at least a week after a man warned managers he had tested positive for the virus days after attending a yoga workshop.
Carol Wilson, who teaches a separate yoga class, said users were “panicking”. She added: “I’ve had lots of emails from my students who think they might be at risk.”
At the Royal Sussex County Hospital, a dedicated pod has been set up to treat potential coronavirus victims.
Five members of staff at the Grenadier pub in Hove were told to go into isolation after the “super-spreader” came in for a drink on Feb 1.
But other staff and drinkers yesterday claimed they learned the news on Facebook or via the media.
Kelly Fricker said: ‘My ex-partner, my son and nephew all drink there, and my nephew’s the chef, and they hadn’t even heard about it.”
Meanwhile, the National Bat Helpline has been deluged with calls from people concerned the mammals could pass on coronavirus.
The Bat Conservation Trust branded such fears “ridiculous”.
Concerns surrounding the disease have even permeated the Church of England’s legislative chamber, where bishops were asked for guidance on using multiple wine cups during Holy Communion services.
The Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Rev James Newcome, said the situation was being “closely monitored”.
‘Until I’m absolutely certain that my kids are safe in school they’ll be staying at home’