LONDON (UK) – Ministers and medics have urged the public to be serious again about the novel coronavirus after the country witnessed a sharp rise in the number of infections, stoking fears that the situation could go out of hand in some parts.
On Sunday as well as Monday, close to 3,000 new cases were recorded, which is a sharp rise from 1,000 for most of August.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that young people had become too complacent about social distancing and they could put the health of their older relatives in jeopardy.
“Don’t kill your gran by catching coronavirus and then passing it on. And you can pass it on before you’ve had any symptoms at all,” he told a BBC radio programme which is aimed at a younger crowd.
As many as 41,554 people have died within 28 days of testing positive in the country.
“The numbers have been going up and we’ve seen in other countries where this leads, and it is not a good place,” Hancock added.
England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam hinted at a “creeping geographic trend” as higher infection rates are being noticed in many parts. “That is really a signal that we’ve got to change this now, got to start taking it seriously, very seriously again,” he told Channel 4 News.