LONDON – The rise in the number of coronavirus cases and the first death related to the coronavirus in the UK has set the ball rolling.
On Thursday, England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty announced that Britain is now onto the second of its four-phase plan to curb the spread of coronavirus.
As of now, 115 cases of the COVID-19 have been recorded in Britain. The outbreak began in China.
Despite the rise in case numbers, Britain has so far held off from implementing measures to restrict movement and cancelling larger gatherings for fear of affecting the economy.
The person in the UK who died of coronavirus was an older patient who had underlying health conditions.
The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is optimistic that the country is well-prepared to cope with the coronavirus spread.
On Thursday, Flybe, a regional airline, became one of the first big corporate casualties of the coronavirus outbreak.
British Health Minister Matt Hancock stated that the upcoming weeks would be tough and it can be seen through only with calm heads and clear determination.
The British government set out on the implementation of a four-stage action plan: virus containment, delaying of virus transmission, researching virus origins and mitigating virus impact.
According to Whitty, Britain was now onto phase two and was considering measures to delay the epidemic’s peak which is anticipated by officials in the upcoming weeks.
“The original plan … was very much predicated on the idea of ‘if it could be controlled in China and contained everywhere else, this virus might go away’. I think the chances of that happening are now very slim. Slim to zero. As time goes by, we then may start to move into the more socially determined actions … We’ve moved from a situation where we were mainly in contain … to now we’re basically mainly delay.”
– Chris Whitty
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was briefed on the matter after a Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies meeting.
“It is now highly likely that the virus is going to spread in a significant way. Officials will therefore accelerate work on preparations for the ‘delay’ phase of the government’s plan, focusing on steps we could take to seek to delay the spread of the virus.”
– Boris Johnson’s spokesman
The government is currently encouraging people to work from home, cancel large-scale gatherings and is looking into closing schools to put the brakes the spread of the outbreak and delay its peak until later in the year when there will be lesser pressure on the health service.
Also, since older people are more vulnerable to the virus, Whitty announced measures to encourage elders to keep away from public places.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.