Widespread coronavirus transmission in UK 'highly likely'

Public Health England’s medical director Paul Cosford has said that widespread transmission of coronavirus in the UK is now ‘highly likely’.

The Prime Minister is set to chair a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee, after the number of UK coronavirus cases jumped to 36, with 13 new cases announced on 1 March. The official government plan on how to tackle the spread of the virus will then be finalised and signed.

Cosford said the extent of infection in other countries suggested the UK needed to prepare for more widespread infection. The government has previously suggested that it could ask recently retired doctors and nurses to return to the NHS of the outbreak worsens.

People could also be urged to work from home - and closing schools and cancelling major public events have also not been ruled out. Health Secretary Matt Hancock also told Sunday’s Andrew Marr Show that isolating cities is being considered. This could include banning public gatherings of more than 5,000 people as the French government has announced.

Hancock said: “Under the worst case scenario we would have to take some quite significant actions that would have social and economic disruption. It may be necessary to close some schools and other population distancing measures.

“There’s clearly a huge economic and social downside to that but we don’t take anything off the table at this stage because you have got to make sure you have all the tools available if necessary.”