UK could shut down cities to control coronavirus outbreak, Matt Hancock confirms
2 min read
British cities could be shut down to help contain a coronavirus outbreak, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has acknowledged.
He was asked by BBC’s Andrew Marr whether the UK could follow the example of Chinese authorities, who isolated the entire city of Wuhan to control the spread of the virus.
Mr Hancock responded: “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’ve got to make sure that you have all the tools available, if that is what’s necessary.
“But I want to minimise the social and economic disruption.”
He also confirmed that the NHS would fast-track the re-registration of retired doctors to deal with staff shortages if the virus becomes widespread.
The move is part of the COVID-19 “battle plan” announced by the Government on Sunday morning.
Other confirmed measures include relaxing restrictions on school class sizes and discouraging non-essential travel.
The Health Secretary said further “population distancing measures” could include banning public gatherings of more than 5,000 people as the French government has announced.
A full set of measures for a worst case-scenario pandemic are set to be published by ministers later this week.
Mr Hancock meanwhile defended Boris Johnson amid claims he has been slow to chair a meeting of the Government's Cobra crisis committee.
Labour has branded the Tory leader a "part-time" Prime Minister after waiting some 72-hours between announcing a meeting of the top set of officials and ministers and holding it on Monday.
Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: "There are growing concerns about our part-time Prime Minister’s handling of the Coronavirus outbreak and serious questions about capacity in our overstretched NHS.
"The Health Secretary should come to the Commons on Monday to explain fully the emergency powers he is planning to bring in, and to update MPs on the government's response so that we can properly scrutinise it."
But Mr Hancock told Sky's Sophy Ridge: "The Prime Minister has been all over this. I have daily calls with him often more than once a day. And I’ve been updating cabinet weekly.
"I’ve been chairing those Cobra meetings across government – a case of ministers and officials working incredibly well together.
“And the prime minister is fully on top of all of this, and that’s the way it should be.”
Over 10,000 people have been tested in the UK for COVID-19, with only 23 positive cases confirmed so far.
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