Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned on Tuesday that a “second wave” is “rolling across Europe” as coronavirus cases are rising.
Hancock said we will do “everything in our power” to prevent a second wave of coronavirus hitting the UK.
Hancock told MPs in the House of Commons, “I said in July that a second wave was rolling across Europe and sadly we’re now seeing an exponential rise in the number of cases in France and Spain.
“And the number of hospitalisations is sadly rising there too.
“We must do everything in our power to protect against a second wave here in the UK.”
The Health Secretary said that the government are to launch a new campaign to tell the public what they can do to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Hancock told MPs, “The first line of defence is and always has been social distancing and personal hygiene.
“We will shortly be launching a new campaign reminding people of how they can help to stop the spread of coronavirus. Hands, face, space and get a test if you have symptoms.
“Everyone has a part to play in following the social distancing rules and doing the basics. After all, this is a virus that thrives on social contact.
“I’d like to thank the British public for everything they’ve done so far, but we must continue.”
Over targeted local intervention he said, “Over the summer we’ve worked hard to integrate our national system with the local response and the local action that we’re taking is working.”
He added, “Our goal is that local action should be as targeted as possible and this combination of social distancing, test and trace and local action, this is a system in which we all have a responsibility to act and this gives us the tools to control the virus while protecting education, the economy and the things we hold dear.”
He further announced a new “rapid test for coronavirus and other winter viruses that’ll help provide on-the-spot results in under 90 minutes helping us to break chains of transmission quickly.”
Adding, “These tests do not require a trained health professional to operate them, so they can be rolled out in more non-clinical settings.”
Hancock announced to the Commons, “Today we also launch our new system of pay to isolate. We want to support people on low incomes in areas with a high incidence of Covid-19 who need to self-isolate and are unable to work from home.
“Under the scheme, people who test positive for the virus will receive £130 for the 10-day period they have to stay at home. Other contacts including, for instance, members of their own household who have to self-isolate for 14-days will be entitled to a payment of £182.”
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