UK scientist warns of 'herd immunity' over virus

The United Kingdom stood increasingly apart Friday as countries across Europe and around the world shut schools and universities, scrapped sports tournaments and shuttered bars and restaurants in response to the new coronavirus.

The British government has not restricted the everyday activities of U.K. residents by banning large public gatherings or suspending transit networks or closing schools.

Britain’s strategy is based on the presumption that most people in the country will eventually get the virus, and severe measures to contain it are unlikely to work.

Patrick Vallance, the British government’s chief scientific adviser, said "we want to suppress it, not get rid of it completely, which you can't do anyway, not suppress it so we get a second peak and also allow enough of us who are going to get mild illness to become immune to this to help with the sort of whole population response which would protect everybody."

Vallance said the U.K. was about four weeks or so behind Italy, where more than 15,000 infections and more than 1,000 deaths were recorded in only three weeks.