Rabu, 26 Februari 2020

WWI hand grenade found on beach in UK - Fox News

A hand grenade from World War I was recently discovered on a beach in the U.K. after a series of storms unearthed the object.

Spotted on Monday, the grenade was sitting along the rocks on a beach at Culver Cliff, north Somerset, British news agency SWNS reports. After an onlooker stumbled upon it and reported it to the local authorities, it was determined that the grenade had no explosives. It was then properly disposed of.

"Once they [bomb disposal crew] were on scene they checked the item over and confirmed that it was a WWI hand grenade, they concluded it no longer had any explosives within it so took the item away to be disposed of accordingly," an HM Coastguard Minehead spokesman said.

A WWI hand grenade discovered among rocks on a beach at Culver Cliff, Minehead, north Somerset, apparently uncovered by the recent storms. (Credit: SWNS)

A WWI hand grenade discovered among rocks on a beach at Culver Cliff, Minehead, north Somerset, apparently uncovered by the recent storms. (Credit: SWNS)

WWI PILOT'S LOGBOOK AND GUN CAMERA PHOTOS DISCOVERED IN BARN

The spokesman added all members of the public are advised to "call 999 immediately and ask for the coastguard" if they suspect they have found something on the coastline.

Various artifacts from World War I have been uncovered in recent months, ranging from items as small as a diary to a shipwreck.

A British soldier’s battered World War I diary recounting the bloody Battle of the Somme was discovered in a U.K. barn earlier this month. Written in pencil by Private Arthur Edward Diggens of the Royal Engineers, the diary starts on Feb.13, 1916 and ends on Oct. 11 of that year.

A logbook and gun camera photos that belonged to a World War I pilot were also found in a U.K. barn earlier this month.

In January, the wreck of a German ship from World War I, the SV Carl, was uncovered after a recent storm came through Cornwall, England, and unearthed it.

WORLD WAR I SOLDIERS SEEN ARRIVING IN EUROPE TO FIGHT ALONGSIDE ALLIES IN RARE PHOTOS

Other remarkable World War I artifacts have emerged in recent years, such as a Bible marked with bullet holes from a German machine gun that helped save the life of a British soldier.

In 2018, rare photos surfaced of American troops arriving in Europe to fight alongside the allies in World War I. In January 2019, a German submarine from World War I was unearthed in Northern France, more than a century after it san

Over 700,000 British troops were killed during World War I and almost 1.7 million were wounded, according to British War Office data. Around 6 million British troops were mobilized in the conflict. The U.S, which entered the war on April 6, 1917, lost more than 116,000 service members in the conflict.

More than 17 million people, military and civilian, lost their lives in World War I.

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Fox News' Anna Hopkins James Rogers contributed to this report.

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2020-02-26 14:55:32Z
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Prince Harry returns to UK for final round of royal engagements, requests to only be called 'Harry' - Fox News

Prince Harry returned to the United Kingdom for one of his final engagements as a senior member of the royal family.

The Duke of Sussex, 35, traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland by train to attend a summit for an eco-friendly tourism firm called Travalyst, according to reports.

The event host, Ayesha Hazarika, informed the crowd that Harry did not want to be referred to as "Prince" during the appearance.

MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY WILL END THEIR ROYAL DUTIES BY THE END OF MARCH

Prince Harry requested that the public does not call him 'Prince' at a royal event in the U.K.

Prince Harry requested that the public does not call him 'Prince' at a royal event in the U.K. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool via AP)

"He's made it clear that we are all just to call him Harry. So ladies and gentlemen, please give a big, warm, Scottish welcome to Harry," Hazarika told the crowd, according to Daily Mail.

It marked Harry's first official public appearance days after he and Meghan announced on their official website that they would no longer use the term "Royal" or "Sussex Royal" after the "Megxit" transition is completed in the spring of 2020.

QUEEN ELIZABETH SEES ‘MEGXIT’ AS ‘DAMAGING TO THE MONARCHY,' SOURCE CLAIMS: ‘THIS HAS BEEN RATHER HURTFUL'

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex attend the 91st Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey in London.

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex attend the 91st Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey in London. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Meghan's husband is also set to visit the Abbey Road Studios in London on Friday for a collaboration with Jon Bon Jovi. He and Meghan may be making five additional appearances before they end their royal duties on March 31, according to Sky News.

Harry and Meghan announced in January their decision to step back from their senior royal duties. The Sussexes no longer hold an office at Buckingham Palace. The deadline is part of the deal the duo made with Queen Elizabeth II.

Included in the transition is Meghan and Harry's agreement to stop using their "royal highness" titles. The couple also plans to split their time between the United Kingdom and North America as they attempt to live financially independent.

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While Harry and Meghan's royal transition comes after the Queen shared her approval with the public, a source close to Buckingham Palace told royal expert Katie Nicholl that Her Royal Highness “generally doesn’t want to talk about it,” Vanity Fair reported on Monday.

“The queen has been keen to get this resolved because she sees it damaging to the monarchy and on a personal level I think this has been rather hurtful for her,” the source said.

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2020-02-26 12:45:58Z
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UK would be 'insane' to let in chlorinated chicken, farmers say - BBC News

Farming leaders have said it would be "insane" to sign a trade deal that allows the import of food that would be illegal to produce in the UK, such as chlorinated chicken.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) president, Minette Batters, said allowing these imports would be "morally bankrupt".

The NFU called for rules on minimum standards for imports to be made law.

Downing Street said food standards would be protected in any trade deal.

'Bottom rung'

At the NFU's annual conference on Tuesday, Ms Batters said: "This isn't just about chlorinated chicken. This is about a wider principle.

"We must not tie the hands of British farmers to the highest rung of the standards ladder while waving through food imports which may not even reach the bottom rung."

She said: "To sign up to a trade deal which results in opening our ports, shelves and fridges to food which would be illegal to produce here would not only be morally bankrupt, it would be the work of the insane."

Ms Batters called for rules in the Agriculture Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, to ensure that food that would be illegal to produce here will not be imported.

In countries such as the US, chicken is sometimes washed in chlorine or other chemicals to remove harmful bacteria.

This practice was banned in the European Union in 1997 over food safety concerns.

The prime minister's official spokesman said: "The UK has long been a world leader in food safety and animal welfare and we will continue to uphold our high food safety standards in all future trade deals."

The EU will demand that the UK keeps its ban on chlorinated chicken as a requirement for a trade agreement with Brussels, the Guardian reported, citing documents it has seen.

The move is to protect European meat exports, but it could prove to be a potential stumbling block in any deal with the US.

Last month, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that the US wanted to agree a post-Brexit trade deal with the UK in 2020.

New environment secretary George Eustice drew criticism on Sunday after refusing to rule out chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef being imported from the US under a new deal.

But the EU believes that relying on chlorine at the end of the meat production process could be a way of compensating for poor hygiene standards - such as dirty abattoirs.

In 2020, the UK will be negotiating a trade deal with Brussels for when the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December.

According to reports in the Guardian newspaper, the EU will demand that the UK maintains a ban on chlorinated chicken as the price for a trade agreement with the bloc.

Mr Eustice's predecessor, Theresa Villiers, had previously told the BBC that the current European Union ban on chlorine-washed chicken would be carried over into UK legislation after Brexit.

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2020-02-26 05:09:11Z
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Selasa, 25 Februari 2020

Coronavirus: Britons returning from northern Italy told to self-isolate - BBC News

Britons returning from northern Italy are being told to self-isolate in the UK if they show coronavirus symptoms.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said people with flu-like symptoms who have been north of Pisa are asked to stay at home for 14 days.

The advice also applies to anyone who recently returned from Italy's quarantined towns even if they have no symptoms, he said.

Italy has put several towns in Lombardy and Veneto into lockdown.

Mr Hancock said he was not aware of any British citizens currently in the Italian quarantine area, where 50,000 residents have been told they cannot leave for two weeks without special permission.

But he said if any UK citizens are in the lockdown towns, they should contact the embassy in Rome.

In Italy, 229 people have tested positive for the virus and seven have died, with police manning checkpoints around 11 quarantined northern towns.

Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast that "those who have been to northern Italy - north of Pisa - if they have flu-like symptoms should self-isolate".

He added: "If people have been to the affected areas that the Italian government have quarantined then they should self-isolate whether or not they have symptoms."

Some travellers suggested UK authorities were too slow to respond to the outbreak in Italy.

Milly Phillips, a GP from Oxford, told the BBC she developed a flu-like illness on Saturday after returning from Venice two days earlier - but NHS 111 had said Italy was not "on the list" of affected places.

She said: "I've worked for the NHS for 20 years and it's the first time I've been frustrated by the bureaucracy."

Two schools - including Brine Leas School in Nantwich, Cheshire, and Penair School in Truro, Cornwall - sent some staff and students home on Tuesday, after they returned from skiing trips in northern Italy.

And Cransley School, a private school in Cheshire, closed after 29 pupils and five members of staff returned from a Lombardy ski resort.

Stephen Paskins, who is due to fly back to Bristol from Venice on Wednesday, said there were fewer tourists in the city, more police and more people wearing face masks.

"The only way to get about is via public transport so keeping away from people is impossible. Everyone is still visiting the landmarks even though you can't enter," he said.

Mr Hancock said the travel advice to Italy, which attracts about three million British visitors each year, has not changed and there were no plans to stop flights from the country.

"If you look at Italy, they stopped all flights from China and they're now the worst affected country in Europe," he said.

Major events in northern Italy have been cancelled, cut short or rescheduled, including the Venice Carnival and Bologna book fair.

But insurers told the BBC that they will only pay compensation when the Foreign Office advises against all travel or all but essential travel to the area.

The quarantined towns in Italy are Bertonico, Casalpusterlengo, Castelgerundo, Castiglione d'Adda, Codogno, Fombio, Maleo, San Fiorano, Somaglia, Terranova dei Passerini - all in Lodi province in Lombardy - and Vo' Euganeo in Padova province, Veneto.

The updated advice means people returning from these Italian towns, or Iran, parts of South Korea and Hubei province in China - where the outbreak began - are being asked to call NHS 111, stay indoors and avoid contact with others, even if they do not have symptoms.

Anyone coming back from other parts of northern Italy and several Asian countries affected by the virus is advised to self-isolate and call NHS 111 if they develop symptoms.

The NHS says the symptoms of Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, are a cough, a high temperature and shortness of breath - but they could also indicate other common illnesses such as a cold or flu.

'We expect more cases'

Meanwhile, a hotel in Tenerife has been locked down with up to 1,000 guests inside after a visiting Italian doctor tested positive for the coronavirus.

After the World Health Organization warned that countries should do more to prepare for a possible pandemic, the health secretary said that the UK had already done "a huge amount of work".

Media playback is unsupported on your device

"Once it gets to that point there isn't a way to stop it coming into the UK in a big way," Mr Hancock said.

"It is not yet clear that it will become a pandemic - the number of cases in China has been slowing over the last couple of weeks and we are relatively confident that information is correct."

In other developments worldwide:

  • China reported 508 new infections on Monday as the death toll rose by 71 to 2,663
  • In South Korea, 10 people have died after contracting the virus, with the number of people infected reaching 977
  • Japan has now confined more than 850 people with the virus, mostly from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise liner
  • Three more deaths have been recorded in Iran, state media says, bringing the death toll there to 15

Mr Hancock said if other countries where the number of cases are growing "get their response right", there is still the possibility that the outbreak will remain small in the UK.

He said: "We still expect more cases but at the moment there are 13 cases in the UK."

The latest cases in the UK were four passengers who returned from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which had been quarantined in Japan.

They were among 30 Britons and two Irish citizens who arrived at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral for two weeks of isolation on Saturday.


How has coronavirus affected your trip in Italy? Have you recently returned from one of Italy's quarantined towns? If so, get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

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2020-02-25 08:19:52Z
52780631785159

Coronavirus: UK 'well prepared' to deal with cases, says government - BBC News

The UK is "well prepared" to deal with coronavirus cases and the risk to individuals "remains low", the government has said.

Downing Street said 99% of those tested in the UK had come back negative.

The total number of cases in the UK has risen to 13 after four cruise ship passengers flown back to Britain on Saturday tested positive for the virus.

It comes amid growing fears the outbreak could reach pandemic scale as more cases emerge around the world.

A total of 6,536 coronavirus tests have been conducted in the UK as of 14:00 GMT on Monday, with 6,527 returning as negative, the Department of Health said.

Italy has the largest number of coronavirus cases in Europe, currently 165, and has reported its fifth death from the virus.

It has taken tough measures to try and contain the outbreak, including enforcing a lockdown in several small towns in the Lombardy and Veneto regions.

Asked whether similar measures could be imposed in the UK, the prime minister's official spokesman said: "We will be led by the advice from public health and medical experts and will take steps which they feel are required to best protect the British public."

The risk to individuals "remains low" and 99% of those tested in the UK had come back negative, the spokesman added.

He said: "We are well prepared for UK cases, we are using tried and tested procedures to prevent further spread and the NHS is extremely well prepared and used to managing infections."

The government will continue to "work closely" with the World Health Organization and international partners, and "remain prepared for all eventualities", he said.

So far, the Department of Health and Public Health England have taken a number of measures to deal with the outbreak, which include:

  • The NHS putting specialist teams in every ambulance service and some hospital units
  • Coronavirus diagnostic tests being rolled out to laboratories across the UK, to allow more than 1,000 people a day to be tested
  • The Foreign Office carrying out "enhanced monitoring" of direct flights from nine countries: China, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Macau
  • New legal powers being issued to allow the government to keep people suspected of having the virus in isolation

The Foreign Office updated its travel advice for Italy over the weekend, the spokesman added.

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Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs has advised its citizens not to travel to affected areas of Italy.

Meanwhile, rugby matches in Italy involving Welsh club Ospreys and Irish side Ulster have been postponed due to restrictions enforced by officials dealing with the outbreak in Italy.

Plans are being made to reschedule both fixtures, which were due to take place on Saturday.

The UK has supplied equipment including facemasks to China to help combat the spread of the disease, the spokesman confirmed.

"We have supplied [the Chinese government] with 1,800 goggles, 430,000 disposable gloves, 194,000 sanitising wipes, 37,500 medical gowns and 2,500 facemasks," he said.

What you need to know about coronavirus

What are the symptoms?

The main signs of infection are fever (high temperature) and a cough as well as shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

What should I do?

Frequent handwashing with soap or gel, avoiding close contact with people who are ill and not touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands can help cut the risk of infection.

Catching coughs and sneezes in a tissue, binning it and washing your hands can minimise the risk of spreading disease.

Anyone experiencing symptoms, even if mild, after travelling from mainland China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau, is advised to stay indoors and call the NHS 111 phone service.

What is the government doing?

The main focus is on rapidly identifying people with the disease and taking them to specialist hospitals for treatment in isolation.

They are then tracing anybody who has come into close contact with the patient to make sure they know the signs of the disease and what to do.

The total number of UK cases has risen to 13 after four cruise ship passengers flown to Britain on Saturday tested positive for the virus.

They were among 30 repatriated Britons and two Irish citizens beginning a 14-day quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral.

The four UK nationals caught the virus on the Diamond Princess liner in Japan and are being treated in specialist NHS infection centres.

Separately, four Britons from the ship who recently tested positive for the new coronavirus were not on Saturday's repatriation flight.

They included David and Sally Abel, from Northamptonshire, who have since been diagnosed with pneumonia, according to their family and are being treated in a Japanese hospital.

Elsewhere, countries including South Korea, Italy and Iran are battling to contain the virus, which causes respiratory disease Covid-19.

About 77,000 people in China, where the virus emerged last year, have been infected and nearly 2,600 have died.

More than 1,200 cases have been confirmed in about 30 other countries and there have been more than 20 deaths.

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2020-02-25 06:26:13Z
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Senin, 24 Februari 2020

Coronavirus: Four new UK cases among ship evacuees - BBC News

Four cruise ship passengers flown to Britain on Saturday have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 13.

They were among 30 repatriated Britons and two Irish citizens beginning a 14-day quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral.

The four UK nationals caught the virus on the Diamond Princess liner in Japan, England's chief medical officer said.

They have now been transferred to specialist NHS infection centres.

Two patients are in the Royal Hallamshire in Sheffield, one is in the Royal in Liverpool and a fourth was transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, NHS England said.

Prof Keith Willett, NHS strategic incident director for coronavirus said: "These specialist centres are well prepared to deal with cases and earlier this year the Newcastle unit successfully treated and discharged two patients who had contracted the virus."

Prof Willett added there had been a "calm response" to confirmed cases of coronavirus so far, "which will continue to be important as more of us might need to self-isolate for a time, to protect ourselves, our families and the community".

Prof Keith Neal, emeritus professor of epidemiology of infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham, said the four new cases were not surprising and would present no risk to the public.

The Department of Health said a "full infectious disease risk assessment" was done before Saturday's repatriation flight from Japan, adding that no-one who boarded the flight had displayed any symptoms of the virus.

Any more passengers who test positive will immediately be taken into specialist NHS care, the department said.

It added that "appropriate arrangements" are in place at Arrowe Park, including strict separation of passengers from staff and from each other.

It comes as 118 UK citizens and their family members rescued from Wuhan - the centre of the virus outbreak - ended their two-week isolation in Milton Keynes on Sunday.

Last weekend, NHS England announced that all but one of the nine people being treated for the coronavirus in the UK had been discharged from hospital.

Analysis

by BBC News medical correspondent Fergus Walsh

It's not surprising that some of those repatriated from the Diamond Princess have tested positive for the coronavirus.

They were on board a ship where the quarantine was a failure - more than one in five of the 3,700 passengers and crew have tested positive.

In the US, 18 repatriated passengers from the cruise ship subsequently tested positive for Covid-19, as did seven passengers flown back to Australia.

It would seem likely that more of those in quarantine in Arrowe Park hospital may test positive in the coming days.

But the NHS is well able to cope with such cases and can isolate and treat patients in specialist centres.

Far more concerning is the situation in Italy, Iran and South Korea, where there is human-to-human spread of the virus in the community, which could eventually lead to the World Health Organization declaring a pandemic.

Arrowe Park Hospital was previously used to isolate 83 British nationals who were flown back to the UK from Wuhan on the Foreign Office's first evacuation flight in January.

Janelle Holmes, chief executive at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust reassured staff that the hospital was "running as usual".

"When guests arrived yesterday evening, we followed clear guidance in relation to infection prevention control. This was to minimise the chance of any infection spreading."

The evacuees had already spent two weeks in quarantine on board the cruise ship, but since then 600 passengers and crew have tested positive for the new virus, raising fears that the incubation period for the virus may be longer than originally thought.

Separately, four Britons from the ship who recently tested positive for the new coronavirus were not on Saturday's repatriation flight.

They included David and Sally Abel, from Northamptonshire, who have since been diagnosed with pneumonia, according to their family and are being treated in a Japanese hospital.

Relatives said the couple are both "having a really tough time" and feel "very much in the dark" in terms of treatment, adding that they are awaiting further tests.

Italy imposes lockdown

The new strain of coronavirus, which originated last year in Hubei province in China, causes a respiratory disease called Covid-19.

China has seen more than 76,000 infections and 2,442 deaths. The virus has since spread to at least 11 other countries.

Over the weekend, Italian officials imposed strict quarantine restrictions in two northern "hotspot" regions close to Milan and Venice, as the number of coronavirus cases soared to 130 - the worst outbreak in Europe.

Venice Carnival has been cut short, schools and museums closed and sporting events suspended as authorities struggle to contain the spread of the virus.

About 50,000 people cannot enter or leave several towns in Veneto and Lombardy for the next two weeks without special permission. Three people have died.

Elsewhere, authorities in South Korea and Iran are battling to control rising numbers of infections.

South Korea has raised its coronavirus alert to the "highest level". The UK Foreign Office has advised against all but essential travel to the cities of Daegu and Cheongdo.

Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan have closed their borders with Iran, where eight people are known to have died. Officials have ordered the closure of schools, universities and cultural centres in 14 provinces.


Have you been affected by the latest developments around Covid-19? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

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2020-02-24 13:39:28Z
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Coronavirus: Four new UK cases among ship evacuees - BBC News

Four cruise ship passengers flown to Britain on Saturday have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 13.

They were among 30 repatriated Britons and two Irish citizens beginning a 14-day quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral.

The four UK nationals caught the virus on the Diamond Princess liner in Japan, England's chief medical officer said.

They have now been transferred to specialist NHS infection centres.

Two patients are in the Royal Hallamshire in Sheffield, one is in the Royal in Liverpool and a fourth was transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, NHS England said.

Prof Keith Willett, NHS strategic incident director for coronavirus said: "These specialist centres are well prepared to deal with cases and earlier this year the Newcastle unit successfully treated and discharged two patients who had contracted the virus."

Prof Willett added there had been a "calm response" to confirmed cases of coronavirus so far, "which will continue to be important as more of us might need to self-isolate for a time, to protect ourselves, our families and the community".

Prof Keith Neal, emeritus professor of epidemiology of infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham, said the four new cases were not surprising and would present no risk to the public.

The Department of Health said a "full infectious disease risk assessment" was done before Saturday's repatriation flight from Japan, adding that no-one who boarded the flight had displayed any symptoms of the virus.

Any more passengers who test positive will immediately be taken into specialist NHS care, the department said.

It added that "appropriate arrangements" are in place at Arrowe Park, including strict separation of passengers from staff and from each other.

It comes as 118 UK citizens and their family members rescued from Wuhan - the centre of the virus outbreak - ended their two-week isolation in Milton Keynes on Sunday.

Last weekend, NHS England announced that all but one of the nine people being treated for the coronavirus in the UK had been discharged from hospital.

Analysis

by BBC News medical correspondent Fergus Walsh

It's not surprising that some of those repatriated from the Diamond Princess have tested positive for the coronavirus.

They were on board a ship where the quarantine was a failure - more than one in five of the 3,700 passengers and crew have tested positive.

In the US, 18 repatriated passengers from the cruise ship subsequently tested positive for Covid-19, as did seven passengers flown back to Australia.

It would seem likely that more of those in quarantine in Arrowe Park hospital may test positive in the coming days.

But the NHS is well able to cope with such cases and can isolate and treat patients in specialist centres.

Far more concerning is the situation in Italy, Iran and South Korea, where there is human-to-human spread of the virus in the community, which could eventually lead to the World Health Organization declaring a pandemic.

Arrowe Park Hospital was previously used to isolate 83 British nationals who were flown back to the UK from Wuhan on the Foreign Office's first evacuation flight in January.

Janelle Holmes, chief executive at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust reassured staff that the hospital was "running as usual".

"When guests arrived yesterday evening, we followed clear guidance in relation to infection prevention control. This was to minimise the chance of any infection spreading."

The evacuees had already spent two weeks in quarantine on board the cruise ship, but since then 600 passengers and crew have tested positive for the new virus, raising fears that the incubation period for the virus may be longer than originally thought.

Separately, four Britons from the ship who recently tested positive for the new coronavirus were not on Saturday's repatriation flight.

They included David and Sally Abel, from Northamptonshire, who have since been diagnosed with pneumonia, according to their family and are being treated in a Japanese hospital.

Relatives said the couple are both "having a really tough time" and feel "very much in the dark" in terms of treatment, adding that they are awaiting further tests.

Italy imposes lockdown

The new strain of coronavirus, which originated last year in Hubei province in China, causes a respiratory disease called Covid-19.

China has seen more than 76,000 infections and 2,442 deaths. The virus has since spread to at least 11 other countries.

Over the weekend, Italian officials imposed strict quarantine restrictions in two northern "hotspot" regions close to Milan and Venice, as the number of coronavirus cases soared to 130 - the worst outbreak in Europe.

Venice Carnival has been cut short, schools and museums closed and sporting events suspended as authorities struggle to contain the spread of the virus.

About 50,000 people cannot enter or leave several towns in Veneto and Lombardy for the next two weeks without special permission. Three people have died.

Elsewhere, authorities in South Korea and Iran are battling to control rising numbers of infections.

South Korea has raised its coronavirus alert to the "highest level". The UK Foreign Office has advised against all but essential travel to the cities of Daegu and Cheongdo.

Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan have closed their borders with Iran, where eight people are known to have died. Officials have ordered the closure of schools, universities and cultural centres in 14 provinces.


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2020-02-24 13:31:13Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTYwNjM2ONIBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE2MDYzNjg