Prime Minister Boris Johnson has this morning chaired an emergency Cobra meeting discussing a range of steps which could be introduced to contain and delay coronavirus.
The UK remains in the containment phase of the government’s four-part plan to tackle the spread of the coronavirus. But it is now “accepted” the virus will spread in a “significant way”, a spokesman from Downing Street has said.
The total number of cases in the UK sits at 373, with six deaths as of 15:30 GMT Tuesday 10th March.
Over the weekend, empty shelves have been seen in supermarkets where shoppers have been purchasing toilet roll in stockpile quantities.
Supermarkets have now placed restrictions on items including pasta, anti-bacterial wipes and hand soap in a bid to prevent shoppers from stockpiling.
Meanwhile Italy spends it’s first week with 60 million under lockdown.
Prison authorities in Italy now say protests have broken out in 27 jails against restrictions imposed to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.
Summary
- Death toll in Italy at 463, with 9,172 cases
- UK ministers gather for an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss next steps to tackle the illness
- Oil prices and stock markets fall
- £130bn wiped off FTSE 100 in minutes
- China has 40 new cases of Covid-19, the lowest since January when reporting began
- Saudi Arabia suspends schools and universities
- Number of United States cases exceeds 500
UK Government’s four-stage plan
The UK Government’s four-stage plan includes: containing the outbreak, delaying its spread, mitigating the impact of the disease once it becomes established, and implementing a research programme aimed at improving diagnostics and treatment.
The government also said plans were in place to draft in the Army, if necessary, to maintain public order.
An NHS emergency preparedness adviser has explained that a level one is a localised incident, like a small fire, where the NHS trust can manage by themselves without any intervention.
Level two is a larger incident, like a small flood, where the commissioners would have to get involved.
A level three is declared when there is a regional emergency and level four, the highest emergency level, is declared when there is a national medical crisis.
