UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has dire warning over coronavirus

With fears 10,000 Britons are already infected, Boris Johnson orders those with even mild symptoms to self-isolate.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at a news conference addressing the government’s coronavirus response. Picture: AFP

Boris Johnson says he wants to level with the public and warn them that “many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time” as scientific experts believe between 5000 and 10,000 Britons are already infected with coronavirus.

And in Italy, where the pandemic is still scourging through the locked-down population, the number of those killed by coronavirus eclipsed 1000. On Thursday afternoon there were 15,113 cases with 1016 dead.

In Spain, the football league La Liga was cancelled with 3,059 infected with the virus and 86 dead. Numbers jumped to 600 in The Netherlands, where prime minister Mark Rutte closed museums and banned gatherings of more than 100 people. Schools, however, have been kept open — in contrast to both Ireland and Denmark, which have both closed schools, child care centres and universities.

Ireland prime minister Leo Varadkar, who is also a doctor, has also banned indoor gatherings of more than 100 people and outdoor events of more than 500.

Scotland has also banned gatherings of more than 500 and cancelled the football league competition.

On Thursday afternoon the UK Prime minister delivered a sombre address, saying the coronavirus was the worst public health crisis for a generation and that the number of cases — not only in Britain but around the world — could be much higher than had been confirmed. Experts said Britain was four weeks behind what was happening in Italy.

There are 590 people confirmed with coronavirus in the UK, with 10 deaths, but the country will now switch to testing people already in hospitals rather than try to contain the virus.

Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said he believed 80 per cent of the population would eventually be infected with coronavirus, a rate even higher than the 60-70 per cent predicted by the German chancellor Angela Merkel earlier this week.

Flanked at a press conference by Professor Whitty and Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, Mr Johnson said Britons with even the mildest of coronavirus symptoms — a continuous cough or fever — were required to stay at home for seven days.

“There is no escaping the reality these measures cause severe disruption for many months, but this will help us slow disease and save lives,” Mr Johnson said.

He spoke directly to the elderly and said coronavirus was not like having the flu.

“It is particularly dangerous for you, even though the vast majority experience a mild to moderate illness, many people are very worried,” he said, urging the rest of the nation to look after the elderly.

“Even if things seem tough now, we will get through this epidemic, just as we have got through many tougher experiences before, if we look out for each other and commit wholeheartedly for a full national effort.”

The UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance (left) and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty. Picture: AFP

Professor Whitty said the seven day self-quarantine for even the mildest case had been instituted because people were most infectious in the early days of contracting the virus. He hoped the self-isolation period would push the peak of the virus into the warmer months when the National Health Service was not under as much strain.

In the meantime, England and Wales will continue to allow sports and mass events and schools will remain open. Officials said this was because such bans and closures could be implemented further down the track when they would be more effective at the peak of the virus — expected to occur in 10 to 14 weeks.

Experts claimed closing schools wouldn’t change the impact of the virus on children, and it could put older grandparents at higher risk by being asked to babysit children off school. They also believed it was untenable to close schools for months and stop children socialising with each other. However they recommended that overseas school trips be cancelled.

Mr Vallance said that the virus would be infecting the community for 13 to 16 weeks and it was important to stage the various interventions so that people didn’t get fatigued and that they remained motivated to self-isolate at the best time.

Tougher measures — such as social distancing and the self-quarantine of all family members if one person fell ill, as well as school closures — could be introduced when the virus had a greater hold in the community.

Mr Johnson argued that sporting events should continue. “It is very important that we are guided by the science. There is very little epidemiological or medical reason at the moment to ban such (sporting) events,” he said.