Father says other parents gave his son abuse over virus super-spreader link
Community fraught with panic after isolation of youngsters who were in contact with Scout leader
Bill Gardner, Jack Hardy, Nicola Smith Yohannes Lowe
A TEENAGE boy who came into contact with a coronavirus super-spreader has been targeted with abuse, his father has revealed, amid growing panic over the number of children potentially infected by the virus.
The boy is among a group of youngsters advised by Public Health England to go into self-isolation over links to Steve Walsh, a Scout leader identified yesterday as the man who inadvertently passed the illness to 11 British people across three countries.
Last night, a fourth school in Brighton and Hove announced that a member of its community had potentially been exposed to the virus. Some parents questioned why it had taken so long for the potential dangers to be made public.
It came after Mr Walsh, a 53-year-old from Hove, said he had made a “full recovery” after reportedly contracting coronavirus on a business trip in Singapore, then transmitting it to others during a skiing trip in the French Alps.
He is still in quarantine in a London hospital, while five people who were with him on the trip, including two medics, are being treated in the UK. Five others are in hospital in France, and another is in Majorca.
Frantic efforts have been launched to trace everyone with whom he had contact, creating chaos as buildings shut their doors and a host of at-risk individuals were told to “self-isolate”.
One of the potentially infected children briefly came into contact with Mr Walsh after he returned to the UK. His father knows Mr Walsh through a local under-13s football team, it is believed.
The father, who did not wish to be named, told The Daily Telegraph: “My boy has been getting hassle from other parents since he was told to self-isolate. He’s been told to stay away from other people for 14 days.”
At Cottesmore St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Hove, two teachers were forced to quarantine themselves over exposure to someone with the virus. Parents were told they could take their children out of classes if they wished, but that the risk to pupils’ health was low.
Natalie Brown, who has a daughter at the school, said some parents were “losing their minds” over the potential risks. “People are really quite scared,” she added. “It’s one thing when a disease is out in China, but quite another when it lands on your doorstep. Lots of parents have decided to take their children out of school. It’s really concerning. A lot of people are asking why we weren’t told about this last week.”
A teacher at Bevendean Primary School in Brighton was self-isolated after coming into “close contact” with a potential carrier. Parents said pupils were being taught how to recognise the symptoms of coronavirus. One mother said: “It’s shocking that my eight-year-old has to think about these things, but it was done in a very responsible way. I’m pleased about that.”
Cases of self-isolation were also reported at Hangleton Primary School in Hove, and a student at nearby Portsdale Academy is believed to be quarantined over contact with Mr Walsh.
One of the two infected doctors is thought to have treated around 15 patients at the County Oak Medical Centre on Carden Hill before displaying any symptoms. The building was shut down yesterday for a deep clean.
Outside the centre, a 43-year-old mother of four from Brighton, said: ‘They will not tell me the risk even though I am immunosuppressed with lupus. Nobody knows anything. It’s a farce. No one can protect themselves, and we can’t protect the public.”
Meanwhile, an electrical goods supplier in Eastbourne closed as a precaution after a member of staff came into contact with someone suspected of having the virus.
Mr Walsh, a father of two, was assistant leader of the 3rd Hove Scout Group, but the Scout Association said he had not attended any meetings since returning to the UK.
In a statement released while he remained in hospital yesterday, Mr Walsh said: “Whilst I have fully recovered, my thoughts are with others who have contracted coronavirus.”
He described contacting health officials after learning of his exposure to a confirmed case of the virus, and attended an isolated room at a hospital, “despite showing no symptoms”.
“When the diagnosis was confirmed, I was sent to an isolation unit where I remain, and as a precaution, my family was also asked to isolate themselves,” his statement continued.
A total of 13 British people are now confirmed to have the virus – all but one linked to Mr Walsh – while a further two Chinese citizens, one a student at the University of York, are being treated in Newcastle.
As anxieties mounted about a potential explosion of cases in the UK, Matt
‘My boy has been getting hassle from other parents since he was told to selfisolate’
Hancock, the Health Secretary, said the outbreak should not be used to “demonise and abuse” the British-chinese community. Chinese restaurants have witnessed a sharp drop in customers, while anyone of Chinese or East Asian heritage is being viewed with suspicion for wearing a face mask, according to several accounts.
Paul Wan, a 40-year-old property developer from Manchester, told The
Daily Telegraph: “I have been conscious not to cough in public because I didn’t know what people will think.
“It’s Chinese New Year, and it should be one of the busiest times of the year, but you’ve got people staying away from Chinese eateries and you’ve got people making casual racist jokes about the takeaways.
“They’ve lost a lot of business – more than 50 per cent down.”