FLU MONDAY
Millions of workers stay home today in ghost town Britain as UK coronavirus cases hit 1,543 and death toll surges to 55
BRITAIN is a ghost town today as millions of workers stay at home after coronavirus cases surged to 1,543 and the UK is put on a war footing.
Usually bustling city spots have been left deserted this morning as the country's fight against the virus ramps up a gear.
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Edinburgh is eerily quiet this morning as many Brits work from home all over the country
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Many offices are operating with skeleton staff numbers, while the rest of the employees work remotely.
Stations have been left empty, with commuter hotspots Cambridge and London Euston, much quieter than usual on a Monday morning.
It comes after Britain’s death toll leapt from 21 to 55 - including Nick Matthews, 59, the youngest UK victim.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the elderly will be told to stay indoors for four months as cases climb and spreads throughout the country.
Ministers also warned they could be forced to ration products such as toilet roll and beans, if panic buying continues.
Thousands of Brits are likely to work from home for the foreseeable future as Britain joins the countries all over the world reducing daily activities.
The empty streets are set to be a common sight while the chaos continues and the country tries to get a grip on the killer virus.
The Prime Minister has been urged to close schools and ban mass gatherings - after the London Marathon was postponed and the country moved into the "delay" phase.
VIRUS PRECAUTION
Major companies in London — including JPMorgan, Deloitte, Google and HSBC — have activated contingency plans for the pandemic such as staff working from back-up locations and from home.
Apple, Nike and Urban Outfitters are closing stores, with other retailers set to follow suit.
One of the nation’s leading experts told Sun readers they should work from home if the option is available to them.
Hugh Pennington, Emeritus Professor of Bacteriology at Aberdeen University, said: “The Government has not yet told offices to close, so businesses taking steps to get staff working from home are doing so as a precaution.
“I would say it is still unlikely that you will contract the virus by going into work but if you have the option to work from home then that will reduce the risk even more, so why not?
“The question is, how close do you come into contact with others in work?
“This virus needs 15 minutes of close contact with someone carrying it for you to have a reasonable chance of contracting it.
“For example, if you work as a checkout operator in a shop then that interaction with a shopper is not likely to be long enough for it to jump from A to B.
“It’s the same with many client-facing jobs. For example, a waiter wouldn’t be at a table long enough to contract the virus from a diner.
“But if someone who is infected coughs or sneezes on you directly then the droplets can infect you — that will be a much higher risk.”
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Mr Hancock admitted the NHS does not have enough ventilators to fight coronavirus.
Boris Johnson will take the extraordinary step of pleading with manufacturers - such as JCB — to switch production lines to make the much needed machines.
JCB chairman Lord Bamford, confirmed the firm had already been approached by the PM.
He added: “We have research and engineering teams actively looking at the request.
“The response to the outbreak is unlike anything seen since the end of the Second World War.”
The Queen looked stoic as she attended church in Windsor.
The Sun on Sunday revealed she had quit Buckingham Palace over coronavirus fears and moved to Windsor Castle which has fewer staff.
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Pressure was mounting on the Her Majesty, 93, to address the nation after King Harald of Norway spoke to his people to urge them to “pull together”.
Critics on social media included a man who tweeted: “We haven’t heard anything from the Queen or Charles. They seem to self-isolate pretty well.”
In America, the final flights allowed from the UK were subjected to screening tests that caused eight-hour queues.
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Matt Hancock vows action if shoppers continue to panic-buy amid coronavirus outbreak
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