As many as 10,000 in Britain may already have coronavirus, says prime minister

As many as 10,000 in Britain may already have coronavirus, says prime minister

The Guardian reports:

Up to 10,000 people may already have coronavirus in Britain and many families should expect to lose loved ones before their time, Boris Johnson warned on Thursday as he set out measures less stringent than those taken by other countries.

Medical, scientific and public health experts criticised the steps outlined to tackle what the prime minister described as the “worst public health crisis for a generation”, including ending school trips abroad, stopping older and vulnerable people taking cruises and the use of self-isolation for a temperature and cough lasting four hours.

Schools are to remain open and large gatherings such as sports events and concerts will go ahead, amid concerns that moving too soon with stricter measures could bring public fatigue, though the prime minister said both measures remained under consideration.

The moves put England and Wales at odds with neighbouring countries. Scotland moved to ban gatherings of more than 500 people from next week, while the Republic of Ireland and France became the latest countries to announce the closure of all schools.

Johnson’s moves came as the stock market in London suffered its blackest day since 1987, with panic selling – triggered by Donald Trump’s surprise ban on travel between the US and the Schengen zone – surpassing the worst seen in the 2008-09 financial crisis. [Continue reading…]

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