Government ministers are set to “order a harder” clampdown, specifically to London in socialising to limit deaths across the capital as “heavy numbers of Londoner’s” are set to catch the virus.
Hospitals across London are already struggling to cope with the large number of confirmed cases, and the fear is even greater as it is unknown how many people are infected, as most are not being tested.
England’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam warned that everyone must adopt “social distancing and self-isolation” to prevent other people “being killed by Covid-19.”
He said, “We are giving very strong advice to all citizens … it applies to everybody.”
The Professor said the restriction are the most “stringent in peacetime, modern day Britain” which could last for many “months.”
The medical expert further warned that anyone who has been in contact or even suspected of being in contact with an infected person, must not at any cost to their “lives be in any contact with these people.”
People who are aged in their 70s and those who are affected with certain health conditions, such as “high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, diabetes, Parkinsons pregnant mothers and those who are obese” are being told avoid “all unnecessary contact with anyone.”
He said that stricter measures will be coming into place of people who have these health conditions for the “extremely vulnerable” very shortly.
The medical officer warned the number of coronavirus cases are set to “escalate rapidly.”
He added, “We will take about one to two weeks to understand what these measures are doing, to begin to slow the rates of infections in the UK.
“We will keep that under really close scrutiny, and we have always said that we are prepared to do things harder, we are prepared to do more things if necessary, to slow this epidemic down.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said that London hospitals do not have enough ventilators to cope with the “expected surge” in new virus cases.
He said this is one of the “reason why the government strategy was contain and delay to get us as near as possible to spring and summer to free up capacity in the NHS.”
The total number of coronavirus cases has soared to 1,950 across the UK, up by 407 in 24 hours.
The number of deaths will be announced later on Tuesday.
A new document published by the Covid-19 team at London’s Imperial College, warns the current public health threat is the “most serious” respiratory virus since the Spanish Flu in 1918.
The Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab has warned Britons on Tuesday, to “avoid all non-essential foreign travel for 30 days,” as the coronavirus pandemic grows.
He said, “UK travellers abroad now face widespread international border restrictions and lockdowns in various countries.”
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