Coronavirus UK: Boris Johnson warns we can ‘lose loved ones’

Boris Johnson today called coronavirus the “worst public health crisis of a generation,” warning that “many more” people will die – but still held back drastic measures.

The prime minister said it was clear that the disease will continue to spread around the world and that people should brace themselves for months for the “reality” of “serious disruption.”

But despite many countries dramatically stepping up their action, he said the government would not yet impose measures such as a ban on sporting events.

Instead, anyone with even mild coronavirus-like symptoms is asked to quarantine themselves at home – and if possible sleep alone and stay at least two feet away from family member.

School trips abroad should be discontinued, while people over 70 or those with pre-existing serious medical conditions should not go on cruises.

‘We have been guided by science at all stages. We will do the right thing at the right time, ”said Mr. Johnson.

At a news conference in Westminster, Mr. Johnson formally stated that British tactics have shifted from “curtailing” the deadly disease to “postponing” its inevitable spread after chairing a meeting of the Cobra Emergency Commission.

Johnson insisted that seasonal flu comparisons were wrong.

“This is more dangerous and it will spread further. And I have to talk to you and the British public for a moment: more families, many more families, will lose their loved ones for their time, “he said.

The number of cases in the UK has increased by 130 and the death toll has increased to 10 in the last 24 hours, with experts increasingly bracing for unrest as the vast majority of the population becomes infected and the country develops ‘herd immunity’.

But the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said he believed the real number of infections would probably be between 5,000 and 10,000 already. He estimated that the UK was four weeks behind the track of the crisis in Italy, which brought the country to its knees.

The UK outbreak may not peak for 10-14 weeks, the experts said – suggesting it will be June.

Despite the blood-curdling warnings, Mr. Johnson said the UK would not close schools yet.

“The scientific advice is that this can do more harm than good.

“But we are keeping an eye on this and this may change as the disease spreads. Schools may only close if they are specifically advised to do so. ‘

Mr Johnson admitted that Scotland already banned mass gatherings, but suggested there was a “specific problem with the resilience of their public services” north of the border.

“We don’t say no to such measures, of course,” Johnson said. “We keep our sleeves up. But it is very important … that we have the timing right. ‘

Chief medical officer prof. Chris Whitty added: “We have to do it at the last minute, it is reasonable so that people maintain their energy and enthusiasm … it is important that we don’t ask our fellow citizens to do it longer than makes sense is. ‘

The FTSE has fallen more than 9 percent today in response to the dramatic U.S. announcement of a travel ban from Europe overnight and growing global chaos.

The UK’s approach is increasingly at odds with that of other countries, with Ireland joining the list of those closing all schools and colleges and banning mass gatherings.

At the first sign of a split within the UK, Nicola Sturgeon has stated that Scotland will also cancel events involving more than 500 people from next week, saying it is taking too long for emergency services.

She admitted, “These are not easy judgments. They are difficult and complicated. ‘

The government has also made it clear that it will not follow Donald Trump’s dramatic nocturnal movement to close borders for travelers to mainland Europe.

Instead, Mr. Johnson seems determined to take a limited response by asking people with colds to quarantine themselves and urge vulnerable elderly people to stay indoors.

Former cabinet minister Rory Stewart accused the prime minister this afternoon of “smug complacency” and warned that without quick action, there could be 100,000 cases in the UK in the next 24 days.

“This threatens to become an example of complacent complacency – refusing to pay attention to what another country is doing or the successful public health approach in Asia,” the mayor of London said hopefully. “We need to show some humility, learn from others, and act now.”

Another day of hectic activities by politicians and health experts around the world:

• Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has stated that schools, colleges and childcare facilities should be closed for two weeks;
• Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said today that she “plans” to cancel mass gatherings of more than 500 people beginning early next week to avoid drawing up resources for police and health workers;
• The United States Congress closes the offices of the United States Capitol, House, and Senate until April 1 in response to the corona virus;
• The Electoral Commission has requested that local and mayor polls scheduled for May be postponed to autumn;
• The FTSE 100 has fallen more than 9 percent today as investors were confused by US travel restrictions imposed in an attempt to halt the pandemic;
• The Czech Republic closes its borders to travelers crossing from Germany and Austria and also prohibits the entry of foreigners from other risky countries to contain the coronavirus outbreak;
• Norway and Lithuania will close daycare centers, schools and universities for at least two weeks, and Oslo has ordered workers to keep at least one meter apart in offices;
• Labor canceled a conference to announce the results of its leadership match, saying that the replacement for Jeremy Corbyn will now be announced at a “scaled down” event on April 4;
• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has isolated herself while his wife is waiting for the results of a coronavirus test;
• The WHO warned that the travel ban announced by Mr Trump will do little to combat the coronavirus in the UK and could backfire by making people complacent;
• Mr Sunak said that he “did not apologize” for turning on expenditure cranes to counter the effects of the virus on the UK economy and society;
• A cabinet minister awaits the results of a coronavirus test today, with four other MPs quarantined after health minister Nadine Dorries became the first politician to be diagnosed with the disease;
• Tube and transport systems were quieter than usual, as the public had priority over the government’s expected advice on limiting social contact;
• Sports events have been called off, with golf that can be played without crowds and the tennis tour postponed for six weeks;
• Parliamentary hearings could be scaled back, and authorities are considering closing visitors due to fears of dispersal on the estate.

Ms Sturgeon said tonight that Scotland has halted public events “that could potentially affect our first-line emergency services.”

“This is not a move we are doing, because science has told us it will have a significant impact on the spread of the virus: on the contrary, the scientists tell us it will not have a significant impact on the spread of the virus – although no significant impact equals no impact at all, ”she said.

“But there are wider reasons that I consider and have assessed that are important in making this decision.”

“Certain events, whether or not they require special ambulance coverage, we know that certain events have an impact on our police and our primary health services, accident and emergency and ambulance services.

“At a time when the pressure on those services will be significant … it is the government’s job to do what we can to remove unnecessary burdens on our public services.”

The decision will come into effect the day after Rangers Celtic host one of this weekend’s Ladbrokes Premiership games, with the champions currently 13 points clear of their rivals.

Prof Whitty said the UK will not yet take social distance measures as this was not the right time in the pandemic.

But he warned that there would be advice for the elderly and vulnerable people to isolate themselves from social gatherings.

He said, “In the next phase, we want to do some things that involve placing social distance between people who are older and people with serious health problems.

“But we do not think it appropriate at the moment to make a recommendation for this nationwide, because it is too early in the course of the epidemic.

“If you think about what would happen if you put the elderly or vulnerable prematurely in a situation where you say, we really want to cut down on your social interactions, to reduce your contact with others, this has major practical implications and can lead to loneliness and other things that are clearly very undesirable to them.

“Although we need to move into that phase, we don’t think it’s the right time to do this during the pandemic. But that point will come. ‘

Eariler, Mr. Johnson, swept political leaders who “don’t follow science.”

In the comments made before Trump’s announcement, he said many leaders were “ under great pressure to be seen. ”

Asked whether the prime minister was aware of Trump’s escalation beforehand, Downing Street said today, “British and US officials are in regular contact.”

To combat what is now officially a global pandemic, the Hospitals Budget has provided a £ 5 billion fund, while thousands of companies are getting a corporate rate to avoid bankruptcy risk.

Sickness benefits are being reformed to ensure that employees are not penalized for quarantining.

In a round of interviews, Mr Sunak said to the BBC today: ‘I do not apologize in the least for a large-scale response to the immediate threat we face from coronavirus in the short term.

“I think that’s right for the economy, we need to help companies build a bridge to get to the other side.”

His package came when the base rate of the Bank of England was lowered to an all-time low of just 0.25 percent.

Mr Johnson will confirm today that the UK is moving from a strategy to contain the outbreak to one to postpone its worst effects, giving the NHS more time to deal with it.

The prime minister – one of the cabinet ministers who fell into self-isolation along with five other MPs last night – is also likely to announce a series of measures for social distance.

However, the government is not expected to go as far as Donald Trump, who told Americans yesterday that he ordered an immediate halt to all travel from Europe.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has stated that schools, colleges and childcare facilities should be closed for two weeks.

He made a live statement to the nation from Washington DC where he will meet Mr. Trump later as part of the annual St Patrick’s Day events program.

“Unfortunately, we have to face the tragic reality that some people will die,” he said.

Varadkar said he was acting on new advice from the country’s National Public Health Emergency Team.

“The virus has spread all over the world, it will continue to spread, but it can be slowed down,” he said.

Dr. David Halpern, head of the British Behavioral Insights Team, called the UK ‘Nudge Unit’, reporting directly to Mr Johnson, has suggested that the 500,000 people living in care homes in the UK or with respiratory conditions may be the only people protected.

He has suggested that the virus can be defeated by getting it spread by healthy people to kill it rather than a nationwide blockage that could cause the corona virus to rise again later in the year.

Dr. Halpern has revealed that ministers are considering a policy to keep at-risk groups such as the elderly or those with underlying health problems isolated in care homes or in their own homes for the next few months.

He said, “There will be a point, assuming the epidemic is flowing and growing as it will be, where you want to cocoon, to protect those at-risk groups from contracting the disease.

“By the time they get out of their cocoons, herd immunity has been reached in the rest of the population.”

Deputy chief physician Jenny Harries was asked on the BBC if “pretty much everyone will get it eventually.”

“The problem with a new virus is, of course, that no one has antibodies ready for it. This virus has a field day, it is the desire to infect as many people as possible, “she said.

Dr. Harries said it was possible that “up to 80 percent of the population” could catch the virus, but added it was a “very high estimate.”

Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was not possible to “let go” of the virus.

“This is a serious situation. We cannot make this virus disappear. It is very likely that significant numbers of us will get this virus, “she said.

“The vast majority will have a very mild illness and the clear focus now is on everything we can do to protect those who are more susceptible to a serious illness, but we cannot make this go away, we need to focus on how we tackle outbreaks, slow spread and reduce the number of people infected at any time. ‘

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland program that there is “no doubt that we won’t be able to hold it much longer” and that efforts will now focus on slowing the spread of the virus to ‘put less pressure on the NHS’.

Just hours after world health officials declared the coronavirus a pandemic, Trump repeatedly defended his own actions and vowed that the nation would gain the upper hand in fighting the virus and getting treatment in the market.

“We will suspend all travel from Europe to the United States in the next 30 days,” Trump announced in an Oval Office speech to the nation.

“The new rules take effect at midnight on Friday,” he said.

The move was so sudden that the acting Secretary of Homeland Security said he would give full instructions on its implementation within 48 hours.

The White House said the travel restrictions apply to foreigners who have visited 26 European countries in the past 14 days – but excluding the UK and Ireland.

It does not apply to US citizens, their “immediate” family members or legal permanent residents. However, confusion remained about how exactly the rules would apply and in what time zone the deadline would be introduced.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said today that the UK is not following the US example.

“The advice we get is that there is no evidence that interventions such as closing borders or travel bans will have a material effect on the spread of the infections,” he told BBC Radio’s Today program.

“That’s why we’ve made the decisions we have.”

A video posted to the # 10 Twitter feed yesterday shows Johnson chatting with deputy chief physician Jenny Harries.

Mr. Johnson said, “It is striking that major sporting events have been banned in some countries and that mass gatherings have somehow ended. Tell us why so far the medical advice in this country is not? ‘

Dr. Harries replied that “expert modellers” had looked into what would happen to the virus.

“In general, such events and large gatherings are not seen as having a big impact. So we don’t want to disrupt people’s lives, “she said.

The FTSE index of the largest UK companies fell 365 points or 6.22 percent to 5,511 shortly after opening, the lowest level since February 2016.

The declines were in response to Mr. Trump’s intervention and came despite the Bank of England cutting interest rates from 0.75 percent to 0.25 percent and the budget plan.

Speaking before Mr. Trump’s speech last night, Mr. Johnson said, “Clearly, people are under great pressure – politicians, governments around the world are under great pressure to see action. So they can do things that aren’t necessarily imposed by science. ‘

Dr. Harries said, “I am absolutely delighted to be following science and evidence.”

She added, “We have very clear advice on when to intervene and that’s exactly what I think we should do.”

Mr Sunak admitted yesterday that the epidemic is now likely to cause “temporary disruption to the economy”, causing millions of workers to fall ill, supply-struggling businesses and shops and restaurants to suffer a dramatic drop in trade.

“The combination of those effects will have a significant impact on the UK economy,” he said. “But it will be temporary. People return to work.

Supply chains are returning to normal. Life returns to normal. It will be difficult for a while. But I am confident that our economic performance will recover. ‘

The emergency package, which was only completed in the early hours of yesterday, overshadowed a series of massive spending decisions that set the government’s economic course for the next four years.

Mr. Sunak pledged to increase total spending by 22 percent by 2024, bringing the size of the state to over £ 1 trillion for the first time.

Much of the expenditure will be covered by loans, with government debt now on the way to £ 2 trillion by the time of the next election.

There will be an increase in the threshold for paying national insurance that will deliver an immediate tax cut of £ 100 for 31 million workers.

De OBR waarschuwde gisteren dat het coronavirus zou kunnen leiden tot een langdurige vertraging, en voegde toe: ‘Recessie dit jaar is heel goed mogelijk als de verspreiding van het coronavirus wijdverspreide economische ontwrichting veroorzaakt.’

De heer Sunak zei dat hij bereid was verdere maatregelen te nemen om ervoor te zorgen dat goede bedrijven niet tegen de muur werden gedreven.

Hij zei dat het pakket van £ 30 miljard gisteren £ 12 miljard aan directe uitgaven en £ 18 miljard aan bredere stimulansen voor de economie omvatte.

‘Hoewel de wereld misschien langzamer gaat werken, zullen we hier met een moedige en moedige reactie optreden en nu beslissingen nemen voor onze toekomstige welvaart’, voegde de kanselier eraan toe. ‘We investeren in infrastructuur van wereldklasse en om de wereld te leiden in de industrieën en technologieën van de toekomst.’

De heer Sunak zei dat het ‘centrale besluit’ was om de uitgaven voor bestaande plannen met £ 175 miljard te verhogen.

De totale belastingdruk zal niet stijgen, vooral door een beslissing om de verlaging van de vennootschapsbelasting af te schaffen. De Schatkist gaf toe dat de uitgaven mogelijk niet voldoen aan eerdere begrotingsregels.

Sommige senior Tories maakten bedenkingen. Theresa May zei dat de conservatieven nooit in de val van Labour mogen vallen door te geloven dat alle problemen kunnen worden opgelost door onbeperkte uitgaven.

De voormalige premier voegde eraan toe: ‘Hoewel veel geld uitgeven populair kan zijn en misschien de logische zaak lijkt, is er natuurlijk de noodzaak om een ​​realistische inschatting te maken van de impact op langere termijn.

‘[There is] een noodzaak om ervoor te zorgen dat we die terughoudendheid en voorzichtigheid hebben die ons in staat stelt om ervoor te zorgen dat de overheidsfinanciën ook in de toekomst sterk blijven. ‘