Published 19:09 IST, March 17th 2020
UK warns coronavirus spreading faster than predicted, total cases over 1,500
Amid coronavirus outbreak, the British government reportedly warned that the virus is spreading faster than the authorities had predicted.
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Amid coronavirus outbreak, the British government reportedly warned that the virus is spreading faster than the authorities had predicted. While speaking to an international media outlet, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that UK capital is a ‘few weeks ahead’ of the rest of the country and the way the virus is spreading faster than the government and advisers had thought. The United Kingdom, currently, has more than 1,500 confirmed coronavirus cases and the deadly virus has also claimed more than 50 lives in the country.
In an interview with an international media outlet, Khan said that the virus is spreading faster in London because of the connectivity, global travel and the density. Out of the 55 people who died in UK, 23 people have died in London. Khan believes that the advice given by the government is the right advice. He reportedly said that the authorities have to take sensible steps to avoid the virus from spreading faster.
Avoid ‘non-essential social contact’
Khan, in a tweet, also urged people to follow the official advice and stop all ‘non-essential social contact’. Khan’s statement came after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that the country is approaching fast-growing part of the upward curve in cases and without drastic action, cases could double every five to six days. Khan has also said that if residents had family members showing symptoms, the entire households should self-quarantine and not go outside for 14 days.
The UK is also set to quarantine all its citizens who are aged above 70 for up to four months. Country’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed that isolating the elderly was “clearly in the action plan”. Hancock confirmed that the measure will certainly take place in the coming weeks. He added that coronavirus was a big risk to the elderly and vulnerable adding that it was for their self-protection.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said on March 16 that the best way to combat the unprecedented outbreak of deadly coronavirus for all countries is to ramp up their testing programs. The WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a conference in Geneva that the ‘simple message’ he has for all countries is ‘test, test, test’. He further added that the countries will remain unsuccessful to tackle the pandemic if they fail to test all suspected cases and remain ‘blindfolded’.
Updated 19:09 IST, March 17th 2020