UK defends not going into lockdown as coronavirus cases jump

The UK government's Chief Scientific Adviser on Friday defended the decision to not put the country into complete lockdown as the number of coronavirus cases in Britain jumped by over 200 to hit 798.

Sir Patrick Vallance, who had addressed the joint press conference at 10 Downing Street on Thursday evening when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK would step up to measures aimed at delaying the peak of the virus, said the latest advice for those with high temperature or cough to self-isolate for a week would have the "biggest impact", even as critics and former ministers called for more stringent measures such as school closures and a ban on large gatherings.

"We have just asked a lot of people to isolate, stay at home, if they have got symptoms of mild upper respiratory tract infection, cough or fever. That is a big change," said Vallance.

"The most likely place you are going to get an infection from is a family member or friend in a small space, not in a big space," he explained.

The scientist, who is the top adviser to Boris Johnson, said that closing schools was a "very effective way of dealing with pandemic flu" but with coronavirus the role of children is less clear in terms of spreading the disease and therefore the government's approach was directed at creating a "herd immunity in the UK".

"Our aim is to try and reduce the peak, broaden the peak, not suppress it completely. Also, because the vast majority of people get a mild illness, to build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission. At the same time we protect those who are most vulnerable to it," he said.

His intervention came amid mounting calls for tougher measures in line with some other European countries, including Italy which remains under lockdown, France which became the latest to impose school closures and others putting curbs on international travel.

Jeremy Hunt, the former UK health minister, said the government's decision to hold off cancelling large gatherings was "surprising and concerning" when the UK may be just four weeks ahead of the curve from Italy, the worst hit country outside China the epicentre of the virus.

After Thursday's emergency meeting, Johnson had declared the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic as the worst public health crisis for a generation and reiterated his strategy to follow scientific advice on the measures to fight it.

We are now getting onto the next phase in that plan because this is now not just an attempt to contain the disease as far as possible but to delay the spread and thereby minimise the suffering, he said, as he warned that many more families would lose loved ones in the outbreak.

Opposition parties have demanded to see the scientific evidence behind the decision.

At least 11 MPs are believed to be in self isolation after health minister Nadine Dorries had tested positive from the virus earlier in the week. UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab was among those tested as well after he coughed during the Budget speech by Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Wednesday, but he later confirmed that the test came back negative.

UK health secretary Matt Hancock has vowed to keep Parliament open but suggested there may be some changes in the way it functions in the coming days.

Parliament is just like any other organisation we take advice from Public Health England, and our plan is very much to carry on, he said.

Meanwhile, all professional football leagues in England, and professional and grassroots games in Scotland have been suspended until early April and the Six Nations rugby union match between Wales and Scotland on Saturday has also been postponed.

The UK and European Union (EU) have agreed not to hold face to face talks on their post-Brexit trade agreement, planned for this month, and Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have cancelled an upcoming trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and Jordan.

The UK has recorded 10 COVID-19 related deaths and health officials believe the actual number of people infected could be between 5,000 and 10,000.