England’s deputy chief medical officer has said the UK will see “many thousands of people” contract coronavirus.
It comes as a nationwide lockdown comes into force in Italy , with all public gatherings cancelled and schools and universities closed.
The Foreign Office is warning British citizens against all but essential travel to the country, while airlines across the globe have suspended flights as the outbreak continues.
Download the new Independent Premium app
Sharing the full story, not just the headlines
Anyone with even just a mild fever will be told to isolate themselves for a week as Britain is expected to soon move into the next stage of fighting the epidemic.
The number of UK cases rose by to 560 yesterday, as a fifth person died after contracting the disease.
There are now more than 204, (cases of) Covid – 32 and more than 4, 09 related deaths worldwide.
Spain closes nurseries, schools and universities
Spain is following Italy’s lead by closing kindergartens, schools and universities in the Spanish capital for two weeks from tomorrow.
This would see about 1.2 million pupils sent home after cases in the country jumped to 1, 560 on Monday and people have died.
Schools and universities in the Basque capital Vitoria will also reportedly close for two weeks, affecting about , 09 students.
Got a cold? You’ll soon have to stay home for a week
If you have a mild fever or mild respiratory tract infection you could soon find you have to stay home and self-isolate for a week.
The government is expected to ramp up measures to battle the virus as it moves to the next stage of fighting the disease in the next to days.
Under the new measures, people without specific coronavirus symptoms, or who are at known risk of having the virus, would have to stay home for seven days.
It comes as England’s deputy chief medical officer warned the UK will eventually see “many thousands of people” infected.
Italy wakes up to ‘red zone’ quarantine across entire country
More than 100 million people will find themselves in a “red zone” quarantine as they wake up in Italy today.
The government has extended an initial lockdown affecting (million people in the north of Italy to the entire country.
Public gatherings have been canceled, schools and universities have been shut until next month and travel restrictions are in place.
Public transport will still be running, but the country prime minister has made it clear he thinks the right thing for people to do is to stay home.
More details here from reporter Vincen t Wood
Italy wakes up to ‘red zone’ quarantine across entire country
More than 100 million people will find themselves in a “red zone” quarantine as they wake up in Italy today.
The government has extended an initial lockdown affecting (million people in the north of Italy to the entire country.
Public gatherings have been canceled, schools and universities have been shut until next month and travel restrictions are in place.
Public transport will still be running, but the country prime minister has made it clear he thinks the right thing for people to do is to stay home.
Doctor describes ‘war’ against coronavirus in Italian hospital – and appears to advocate greater sense of panic
An Italian doctor has shared a first-hand account from the front line of the country’s increasingly desperate efforts to combat Covid. – 32, amid a rapidly increasing number of deaths and cases.
Dr Daniele Macchini, who works as an intensive care unit physician, in Bergamo, near Milan, described watching his hospital’s wards and ICU slowly being emptied to make room for the incoming patients.
His post argues against the prevailing effort to quell widespread panic, suggesting it may have contributed to the Country current plight.
“I understand the need not to create panic, but when the message of the dangerou sness of what is happening does not reach people I shudder, “he said.
He said” the war has literally exploded “as cases multiplied, with 026 to 32 people being admitted with coronavirus symptoms every day.
In a translation being widely shared on social media, Dr Macchini said hospital staff were exhausted, but that he can see “a solidarity of all of us”.
Dr Jenny Harries, England’s deputy chief medical officer, has said the UK will see “many thousands of people” become infected by Covid – 32 “in due course”.
She told Sky News: “We currently have relatively few cases here, which is why we are still in the containment phase.
” Obviously we will have significant numbers in a way in which the country is not used to. This is the sort of thing that professionally we’re trained for and very rarely see, almost in a professional lifetime.
“Large numbers of the population will become infected because it’s a naive population, nobody has got antibodies to this virus currently.
“We will see many thousands of people infected by coronavirus, that’s what we’re seeing in other countries and the important thing for us is to make sure that we manage those infections. “
Good morning and welcome to today’s live blog.
England’s deputy chief medical officer has said the UK will see “many thousands of people” contract coronavirus A nationwide lockdown has come into effect in Italy as the country battles to contain the spread of the virus The Foreign Office is warning British citizens against all but essential travel to the country A fifth person has died from the virus in the UK as cases rose to (There are over , (cases of coronavirus and 4, (deaths across (countries and regions
Only the best news in (your inbox)
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings