DEADLY BUG
Sixth Brit coronavirus death confirmed as cases hit 382 and doctors warn UK faces lockdown like Italy in 14 days
THE sixth coronavirus death has been confirmed in the UK as the number of people infected with the killer bug climbed to 382.
The number of new cases leapt by 61 in a day - including seven who caught it from a "super spreader" in south Wales.
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It was also revealed on Tuesday night that Health Minister Nadine Dorries had tested positive for the deadly bug.
Dorries, Tory MP for for Mid Bedfordshire, had played a leading role in drawing up legislation to tackle the deadly virus that has killed six Brits.
The most recent death was at Watford General Hospital on Monday night.
The patient, who is believed to have contracted the virus in the UK, was in their eighties and had underlying health conditions.
In a statement the man's family said: "We have lost a loving, caring father, grandfather and brother.
"His age and failing health did not stop him from living a full and complete life and always doing things for other people. He was guided by his innate kindness.
"Our father will be sorely missed, not just by us but by those whose lives he touched."
In Wales, nine additional people were diagnosed with coronavirus on Tuesday - bringing the total number of positive cases to 15.
Two of the patients had recently travelled from northern Italy.
The other seven tested positive after they had contact with a Port Talbot resident who was diagnosed on Monday.
As cases in the UK rose to 382, top doctors warned the UK could face an Italy-style lockdown in the next fortnight.
Today's jump in cases is the second biggest day-on-day rise, and mirrors Monday's 17 per cent increase.
In other developments:
- British nationals on the Grand Princess cruise ship in California will land in the UK on Wednesday and will go into self-isolation
- Health minister Jo Churchill said some patients can expect to wait longer for NHS treatment as doctors prioritise those with more serious illness first
- Some air passengers have complained of being stranded in Italy after airlines cancelled flights to and from Italy
- Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that "wherever clinically and practically possible, people can access and should access" GP appointments "through phones and digital means"
- There were no handshakes from the Queen as she held an audience at Buckingham Palace
- NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland mortgage customers affected by coronavirus could get to defer repayments for up to three months
- The death toll from the coronavirus outside China passed 1,000 on Tuesday, as Italy recorded 168 deaths
- The start of the UK peak of the coronavirus epidemic is expected within the next fortnight
Professor Francois Balloux of the University College London has said Italy's lockdown method could be "adopted by the UK", as the epidemic at home is "roughly comparable" to the one in northern Italy so far.
He said: "The trajectory in the UK is so far roughly comparable to the one in northern Italy, but with the epidemic [there] two to three weeks ahead of the situation [here].
"It is possible that a lockdown strategy similar to the one imposed in northern Italy may be adopted by the UK. The Covid-19 epidemic cannot be contained any more."
Dr Jenny Harris, deputy chief medical officer, fears thousands of Brits will be infected over the next week.
She said: "The chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser say there's likely to be more cases.
"We will have significant numbers in the way that the country is not used to.
"We will see many thousands of people infected by coronavirus, that's what we’re seeing in other countries.
"Make sure elderly and those with underlying conditions get into hospital and get treatment."
Dr Harries said cancelling big outdoor events like football matches would not necessarily be a decision supported by science.
"The virus will not survive very long outside," she said. "Many outdoor events, particularly, are relatively safe."
'EVERYONE ELSE WILL BE LIKE ITALY'
UCL scientist Mark Handley posted a graph on Twitter which shows Britain, Germany, France, Spain and the US are all following the same trajectory as Italy.
He said: "Everyone else will be like Italy in 9-14 days time."
Leading scientists warned the outbreak will increasingly disrupt normal life.
Professor Robert Dingwall, a public health expert at Nottingham Trent University, said: "It's a fair assumption the peak of this outbreak will overlap with the Easter break."
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The comments come as Italy's prime minister extended its strict quarantine measures to the entire country as it struggles to contain Europe's worst outbreak of the deadly virus.
In Italy, people will only be able to move between cities for emergency reasons and can face fines and up to three months in prison for breaking quarantine rules.
All public events have been banned, cinemas, gyms, discos and pubs closed, funerals and weddings cancelled and sporting matches including Serie A games suspended.
PUBLIC EVENTS BANNED
Mass gatherings and large events could soon be banned in Britain.
Organisers of the London Marathon, which takes place on April 26, are closely monitoring the situation and cancellation fears are growing.
All St Patrick's Day parades in Ireland have been scrapped in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.
The UK's biggest Daffodil Festival due to take place at the end of March - which sees 10,000 people from the UK visit the tiny village of Thriplow each year - has also been called off.
CINEMAS, PUBS AND CLUBS SHUT
Coronavirus is already having an impact on Britain's pubs - with customer footfall down by almost a third.
UK hospitality chief Kate Nicholls said fears of coronavirus had seen customers stay away in their droves.
She said: "It depends on where pubs are located - in city centres, particularly near or in train stations, footfall is down by 30 to 40 per cent. Sales have been decimated and some travel hubs are like ghost towns.
"But there's been a drift to neighbourhood pubs. So while some people are self-isolating, others are choosing to support their local."
Pubs and clubs have not been officially closed but the government may soon follow Italy and ban punters from pubs, cinemas and nightclubs.
SPORTING MATCHES CANCELLED
In sport, it was announced today that Chelsea's Champions League round of 16 clash away to Bayern Munich will be played behind closed doors.
The Champions League game between Barcelona and Napoli at the Nou Camp will also be played in an empty stadium, as will Manchester United's Europa League tie with LASK in Austria on Thursday this week.
Meanwhile Nottingham Forest confirmed majority owner Evangelos Marinakis has contracted coronavirus.
On the international front, the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2020 play-off semi-final against Slovakia in Bratislava on March 26 will now be played behind closed doors.
England's friendly against Italy at Wembley on March 27, though, is still set to go ahead as normal with the Football Association continuing to follow Government advice.
Italy's Serie A was one of the first leagues to be suspended following the outbreak and Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina has suggested the title may not be awarded to any team if this season's fixtures cannot be completed.
There has been talk Premier League and EFL games could be played behind closed doors - but matches will go ahead as planned for now.
In rugby, the Six Nations match between France and Ireland has been cancelled, as has England's match in Rome against Italy.
AIRLINE SHUTDOWN
Hundreds of flights between the UK and Italy have been cancelled due to the coronavirus, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
British Airways has suspended all flights to and from Italy until various future dates depending on the route.
EasyJet has cancelled all flights touching Italy until April 4 but will operate "rescue flights" in the coming days to passengers who need to return home or whose travel is "essential".
Ryanair said no flights will serve the country between Saturday and April 8.
Other airlines have also cancelled flights to countries other than Italy because of a reduced demand.
'STAY AT HOME'
On Monday, England's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said Britons with cold, flu or fever symptoms could soon to be asked to stay at home in self-isolation.
The drastic step is set to be taken in around ten days' time as the killer bug threatens to explode in the UK.
Officials claim the stay at home measure could slash the peak number of cases by half and protect the NHS from being overwhelmed.
They predict it will reduce the number of vulnerable Brits killed by the virus by up to 30 per cent — potentially saving thousands of lives.
FRESH CASES CONFIRMED
On Monday a patient, in their seventies, became the fifth Brit to die from the disease.
They passed away at St Helier Hospital in Sutton, South London.
A spokesman for St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said the patient "was very unwell with a number of significant and long term health conditions".
Earlier that day it was revealed a fourth person had died from the virus while being treated at Royal Wolverhampton Hospital.
The woman was in her 70s and had underlying health conditions.
She is thought to have caught the deadly bug in Britain.
Meanwhile the son of a 60-year-old man who died after being diagnosed with coronavirus said he fell ill "instantly".
The patient died at North Manchester General Hospital on Sunday after coming back from a trip to northern Italy at the end of February.
BRITAIN 'FACES ITALY-STYLE LOCKDOWN'
- Public events banned
- Cinemas closed
- Pubs and nightclubs shut
- Funerals and weddings cancelled
- Sporting matches cancelled
- Schools and universities closed
- Travel between cities only permitted for emergency reasons
- Checkpoints on motorways, tolls, train stations and airports
He was the third person die from coronavirus in Britain.
The son said his father, a British national originally from Bangladesh, had fallen ill "instantly" and was taken to hospital after going to a local health centre for a routine appointment.
The rest of the family were told to self-isolate, he said.
He told BBC Bangla: "Obviously I could not believe it because two months ago this thing didn't even exist and today it took away my father.
"It took me quite a long time to process the whole thing that I'm not going to be able to see him any more."
If we continue to look out for one another, to pull together in a united and national effort, I have no doubt that we can and will rise to that challenge.
Boris Johnson
In the UK, 382 people have now tested positive for Covid-19.
More than 25,000 people have tested negative.
Boris Johnson said the UK will almost certainly move from the "contain" to the "delay" phase of tackling coronavirus.
Mr Johnson said there was "no hiding from the fact the coronavirus outbreak will present significant challenges for the UK just as it does in other countries."
He added: "But if we continue to look out for one another, to pull together in a united and national effort, I have no doubt that we can and will rise to that challenge."
The UK remains in the "contain" phase of the response to coronavirus "but watching what is happening around the world, our scientists think containment is extremely unlikely to work on its own", Mr Johnson added.
MOST READ IN NEWS
On Monday night, Italy extended coronavirus travel restrictions to the whole country, with soldiers and police enforcing the bans.
Overall, Italy has recorded 10,149 cases of Covid-19, with 631 deaths, and figures are expected to rise.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office amended its advice to warn against all but essential travel to Italy.
Italian PM announces the WHOLE of Italy is now on lockdown in response to coronavirus outbreak
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