Babak Belurs

Kamis, 12 Maret 2020

Coronavirus: UK coronavirus-related deaths rise to 10 - BBC News

Two more people have died after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of UK deaths to 10.

There are now 590 confirmed cases in the UK, up from 456 on Wednesday - with 491 in England, 60 in Scotland, 20 in Northern Ireland and 19 in Wales.

It comes as the government is expected to announce within hours that it is stepping up its coronavirus response.

It is anticipated the UK will switch to tactics aimed at delaying its spread, rather than containing it.

The latest two deaths were an 89-year-old at Charing Cross Hospital in London and a woman in her 60s at Queen's Hospital in Romford, NHS England said. They both had underlying health conditions.

A total of 29,764 people have been tested for the virus in the UK so far.

Thursday's rise in confirmed cases - of 134 - was the first time the day-on-day increase has been more than 100.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has labelled the outbreak of the disease as a pandemic.

Schools, colleges and other public facilities in the Republic of Ireland are to close until 29 March.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for the cancellation of mass gatherings of 500 people or more.

She told the Scottish Parliament she will discuss this at the emergency Cobra meeting.

Overnight, US President Donald Trump suspended travel to the US from 26 European countries - but not the UK or Ireland.

In other developments:

Three Leicester City players have self-isolated after showing symptoms of coronavirus
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack suggested new UK measures could include requiring people to stay at home if they have a raised temperature combined with symptoms of a cold
Barchester, which runs more than 200 care homes across the UK, has asked visitors to stay away
A cabinet minister was confirmed as being in self-isolation while awaiting test results after coming into contact with minister Nadine Dorries, who has tested positive for the virus
The Italian government forced all shops except food stores and pharmacies to close as the country strengthens its lockdown due to the virus
Real Madrid footballers have gone into quarantine after a basketball player who shares training facilities with the La Liga club tested positive for the virus
McLaren have withdrawn from this weekend's Australian Grand Prix after a team member tested positive
Princess Cruises, which has seen more than 700 cases of the disease reported on its cruise ships, has paused operations until 10 May

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to sign off plans to move from the "containment" phase of the outbreak to "delay" at the Cobra meeting later.

The UK is currently in the "containment" phase - the first stage of the government's four-part plan:

Containment
Delay
Mitigation
Research - which runs alongside the other phases

Delay is where "social distancing" measures will be considered - which could include restrictions on public gatherings above a certain number of people, although this is not thought likely at this stage.

The move could also result in people who show even minor signs of respiratory tract infections - such as a cough - or a fever soon being told to self-isolate.

Speaking to BBC News, deputy chief medical officer for England Dr Jenny Harries said the introduction of social distancing measures should come at "exactly the right time".

She also warned that members of the public wearing face masks could be putting themselves at more risk of contracting the virus - if they touch it with unwashed hands or put it on a surface they have not cleaned.

"You can actually trap the virus in the mask and start breathing it in," she said.

Where are we heading?

The move to delay is an acknowledgement the virus cannot be contained. This is not unexpected given health officials have been clear in the past week or so that we should expect widespread community transmission.

The key now is how quickly, and by how much, cases start to rise.

A good scenario given the circumstances would be for infections to climb gradually over the coming months and for the peak weeks - where the risk is that half the overall cases could come quickly - to be kept under control.

That will allow the health service to manage as best it can.

The government has a range of powers at its disposal.

But expect the most drastic to be reserved for just before the peak. The focus of today's advice is expected to be how the vulnerable can be protected - the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak told BBC Breakfast any new measures would seek to protect people who are especially vulnerable and would be "guided by the science".

"We now believe the virus could spread significantly," he said.

Mr Sunak told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that blanket bans on foreign travel like that imposed by the US are unlikely to have a "material effect" on the spread of infection.

He said the UK government was "looking at interventions that provide very high clinical benefit and minimise the social impact".

The delay phase aims to lower the peak impact of the virus and push it away from the winter season - when pressures on the NHS are more acute because of issues including seasonal flu.

Delaying the outbreak's impact could also buy time for the testing of drugs and development of vaccines and/or improved therapies or tests to help reduce the impact of the disease.

The Cobra committee last met on Monday, when it was decided the UK should remain in the containment phase.

On Wednesday, in his first Budget, Mr Sunak pledged billions of pounds of investment to get the country through the coronavirus outbreak, as well as saying the NHS would get "whatever resources it needs".

Meanwhile the Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru have cancelled their respective spring conferences.

In response to the World Health Organization labelling the outbreak of the disease a pandemic, the UK's chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty tweeted that the UK "had been planning" for this situation.

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson told BBC Newsnight that alternative areas like operating theatres and recovery rooms could be adapted to help cope with increased hospital admissions.

He said: "The idea that we've got a fixed number of beds and capacity is not right."

'It's a horrible feeling'

Alison Cameron, 53, is one of 15 people in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea to have been diagnosed with the disease.

She contacted NHS 111 after she began finding it difficult to breathe.

"I feel really unwell. I am currently in isolation. It is not pleasant," she said, adding: "At the heart of it I feel like death on legs."

She believes she contracted the virus after a chance meeting with someone who was subsequently diagnosed with it.

"It's a horrible feeling not being able to go out and it is quite frightening," she said. "I am more worried about my neighbours because they are quite vulnerable too."

What is happening elsewhere?

US President Donald Trump announced sweeping new travel restrictions on Europe in a bid to combat the spread of the virus.

The ban applies to anyone who has been in the EU's Schengen border-free area within 14 days prior to their arrival in the US. The travel order does not apply to US citizens.

The UK Foreign Office issued a travel update for British nationals in Italy, urging all remaining tourists to contact their airline operators and return to the UK.

It came as the number of confirmed cases in Italy rose to more than 12,000 with a death toll of 827.

What are your experiences relating to the coronavirus outbreak? 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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2020-03-12 14:41:26Z
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Ireland and Britain aren’t part of Trump’s coronavirus travel ban. This is why. - The Washington Post

The Schengen area is an area of border-free travel

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the travel ban will apply to “most foreign nationals who have been in … the Schengen Area.” The idea behind the Schengen area is straightforward. It is supposed to allow people to cross national borders between Schengen members without having their passports or identity cards checked. This requires a lot of trust between countries, since, for example, once someone has entered Greece, they are in theory capable of moving to Germany, Italy, France, Hungary or any other member country without anyone stopping them or checking who they are. This has led to the creation of a massive system of information exchange among member countries. However, when Schengen was being created in the early 1990s, the U.K. decided not to participate. As an island, it has a different understanding of borders than mainland European countries, and it was also suspicious of deeper integration with other European countries. Ireland had a common set of travel arrangements with the United Kingdom that it did not want to give up, so it too decided not to join Schengen (although the U.K. and Ireland shared information with Schengen after it became more closely integrated into the European Union).

The result is that it is possible, at least in principle, to travel across much of Western Europe without having your passport checked at the border.

Schengen did not really get rid of border controls

In practice, border-free travel was never quite as simple as the rhetoric suggested. States continued to maintain some control over their borders and conduct random spot checks. Recently, the politics of Schengen has become increasingly complicated, thanks to internal European disagreements about migration. When the Schengen area was created, no one expected that Europe would have to deal with massive flows of immigrants and refugees. Wars in Libya and Syria, and pressure from people who wanted a better life in Europe for themselves and their children, changed all that. The result was that Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden and Norway reintroduced border controls in 2015, to try to stop migrants who had landed in countries such as Italy and Greece from entering their territory.

The novel coronavirus outbreak has led to a similar reaction. The rapidly growing number of cases in Italy has led other Schengen members to talk about introducing new travel restrictions to prevent the spread of infection. Austria has said that people can only enter from Italy (which borders Austria) if they have a health certificate showing they are free from the coronavirus that is less than four days old. Slovenia and Hungary are introducing strong restrictions too. Such restrictions are probably legal under Schengen, which allows for the temporary reintroduction of border controls under exceptional circumstances.

But that isn’t good enough for Trump

Trump, in his speech, blamed Europe for not being careful enough in introducing restrictions, saying that viral clusters in the United States have been “seeded by travel from Europe.” The rationale for the ban appears to be that border-free travel will allow the contagion to spread throughout the Schengen area, and then jump to other countries such as the United States.

As political scientists such as Mara Pillinger have noted, governments are often enthusiastic to impose travel bans, even though there is a broad consensus among policy experts that they are costly, politically troublesome and not particularly effective. They are especially unlikely to be effective where a disease has already become endemic within a country, so that “community infection” is occurring.

Why then are some Schengen states restricting travel from other Schengen states, and why is Trump imposing a general ban on foreign nationals who have been in the Schengen area? One plausible explanation might be that travel bans send a highly visible signal to voters that the government is doing something to stop the spread. That might be particularly politically important in the United States, where the government has not yet been able to test citizens for the novel coronavirus in significant numbers, let alone introduce significant targeted measures to halt the spread of the virus that causes the disease covid-19.

Though many Schengen area states are likely to be very angry at Trump’s decision, the willingness of some of their fellow Schengen members to impose similar restrictions will make it hard for them to respond in an unified way. It will be particularly interesting to see whether states such as Austria and Hungary denounce the U.S. ban or seek an exemption on the basis that they are imposing restrictions, and whether Ireland will refer to the ban on its fellow E.U. member states in the prime minister’s meeting with Trump on Thursday.

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2020-03-12 11:37:10Z
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Ireland and Britain aren’t part of Trump’s travel ban. This is why. - The Washington Post

The “Schengen area” is an area of border-free travel

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the travel ban will apply to “most foreign nationals who have been in … the Schengen Area.” The idea behind the Schengen area is straightforward. It is supposed to allow people to cross national borders between Schengen members without having their passports or identity cards checked. This requires a lot of trust between countries, since, for example, once someone has entered Greece, they are in theory capable of moving to Germany, Italy, France, Hungary or any other member countries, without anyone stopping them or checking who they are. This has led to the creation of a massive system of information exchange between member countries. However, when Schengen was being created in the early 1990s, the UK decided not to participate. As an island, it has a different understanding of borders than mainland European countries, and was also suspicious of deeper integration with other European countries. The Republic of Ireland had a common set of travel arrangements with the United Kingdom which it did not want to give up, so it too decided not to join Schengen (although the UK and Ireland shared information with Schengen after it became more closely integrated into the European Union).

The result is that it is possible, at least in principle, to travel across much of Western Europe without having your passport checked at the border.

Schengen did not really get rid of border controls

In practice, border free travel was never quite as simple as the rhetoric suggested. States continued to maintain some control over their borders, and to conduct random spot checks. Recently, the politics of Schengen has become increasingly complicated, thanks to internal European disagreements about migration. When Schengen was agreed, no one expected that Europe would have to deal with massive flows of immigrants and refugees. Wars in Libya and Syria, and pressure from people who wanted a better life in Europe for themselves and their children, changed all that. The result was that Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden and Norway reintroduced border controls in 2015, to try to stop migrants who had landed in countries such as Italy and Greece from entering their territory.

Coronavirus has led to a similar reaction. The rapidly growing number of cases in Italy has led other Schengen members to talk about introducing new restrictions, to prevent the spread of infection. Austria has said that people can only enter from Italy (which borders Austria) if they have a health certificate showing they are free from coronavirus that is less than four days old. Slovenia and Hungary are introducing strong restrictions too. Such restrictions are probably legal under Schengen, which allows for the temporary reintroduction of border controls under exceptional circumstances.

But that isn’t good enough for Trump

Trump, in his speech, blamed Europe for not being careful enough in introducing restrictions, saying that viral clusters in the U.S. have been “seeded by travel from Europe.” The rationale for the ban appears to be that border-free travel will allow the contagion to spread throughout the Schengen area, and then jump to other countries such as the U.S.

As political scientists such as Mara Pillinger have noted, governments are often enthusiastic to impose travel bans, even though there is a broad consensus among policy experts that they are costly, politically troublesome not particularly effective. They are especially unlikely to be effective where a disease has already become endemic within a country, so that “community infection” is occurring.

Why then are some Schengen states restricting travel from other Schengen states, and why is Trump imposing a general ban on foreign nationals who have been in the Schengen area? One plausible explanation might be that travel bans send a highly visible signal to voters that the government is doing something to stop the spread. That might be particularly politically important in the U.S., where the government has not yet been able to test citizens for coronavirus in significant numbers, let alone introduce significant targeted measures to halt the virus’s spread.

Equally however, even though many Schengen area states are likely to be very angry at Trump’s decision, the willingness of some of their fellow Schengen members to impose similar restrictions will make it hard for them to respond in an unified way. It will be particularly interesting to see whether states such as Austria and Hungary denounce the U.S. ban, or seek an exemption on the basis that they themselves are imposing restrictions, and whether Ireland will refer to the ban on its fellow E.U. member states in the Taoiseach’s meeting with Trump Thursday.

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UK soldier and two Americans killed in rocket attack in Iraq - BBC News

Three people have been killed after a base hosting US and UK troops in Iraq was hit by a rocket attack.

At least 12 people were injured in the attack on the Taji military camp, north of Baghdad.

US military sources said an American soldier, an American contractor and a British soldier were killed. No names have yet been released.

Tension has been high since the US killed senior Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike in January.

A retaliatory Iranian strike on al-Asad - another base hosting US troops - on 8 January left more than 100 soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

However, both Iran and the US appeared then to want to draw a line under the matter and there have been no major flare-ups since.

A statement from the US-led coalition in Iraq and Syria confirmed that 18 rockets had struck the base and three coalition personnel had been killed.

In an earlier tweet, a spokesman for the coalition said the attack happened at 19:35 local time (16:35 GMT) on Wednesday. He added that an investigation had been launched.

The UK Ministry of Defence said in a statement that the British soldier who was killed was a member of the Royal Army Medical Corps.

"The service person's family have been informed and have requested a period of privacy before further details are released," the statement said.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace called the attack a "cowardly and retrograde act".

He said his thoughts were with the families of those killed or injured, adding: "We shall not forget their sacrifice and will ensure those who committed these acts face justice."

Earlier, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the attack was "deplorable".

"The foreign secretary has spoken to the US secretary of state and we will continue to liaise with our international partners to fully understand the details of this abhorrent attack," he said.

No-one has said they were responsible for the attack and the US and UK have not yet attributed blame. But, in the past, Washington has accused Iran-backed factions in Iraq of carrying out similar strikes.

There have been reports of retaliatory air strikes elsewhere in Iraq, close to the Syrian border, but these have not been confirmed.

Why is Iraq drawn into the US-Iran confrontation?

Tensions between the arch-foes intensified last year, after Iran-backed militia fighters targeted US military and civilian personnel in a series of rocket attacks. There were also unclaimed air strikes in Iraq targeting militia facilities and Iranian officials.

In late December, a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base killed a US civilian contractor.

The US blamed the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia, which is part of the paramilitary Popular Mobilisation force. It carried out air strikes on its bases in western Iraq and eastern Syria that left at least 25 fighters dead.

The US embassy in Baghdad was then attacked by crowds of protesters and President Donald Trump warned Iran it would "pay a very big price".

On 3 January, Mr Trump authorised a drone strike near Baghdad airport that killed Soleimani - commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Quds Force and architect of Iranian policy in the Middle East - and Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Five days later, Iran launched ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases hosting US forces. The attack did not kill any troops but more than 100 were later diagnosed with concussion.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the missile attack was "a slap in the face" for the US and vowed to end the American presence in the region.

What is the status of US troops in Iraq?

There are about 5,000 US military personnel and hundreds more from other countries in Iraq as part of a global coalition against the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).

The coalition is tasked with advising and assisting Iraqi security forces trying to prevent a resurgence of IS, which was defeated militarily in Iraq in 2017 but still has thousands of militants in the country.

On Sunday, two US soldiers were killed during a raid on an IS hideout in the Qarachogh mountains of central Iraq.

The coalition's forces remain in Iraq at the government's invitation, but the Iraqi parliament has passed a bill demanding that the invitation be rescinded.

The UK, meanwhile, has 400 troops based in the Middle East and works alongside US forces in the region.

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2020-03-12 05:08:21Z
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Rabu, 11 Maret 2020

Coronavirus: Biggest daily rise as UK cases reach 460 - BBC News

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK has now reached 460, after the biggest rise in a single day.

Six patients with coronavirus have died in hospitals in the UK - the latest was a man in his early 80s in Watford who had underlying health conditions.

NHS England plans to expand the number of people it can test in a day to 10,000, up from 1,500.

It comes as the World Health Organization upgraded the status of the outbreak to a pandemic.

It is expected that confirmation of positive test results will be sped up in the UK with most people receiving them within 24 hours.

Meanwhile, a 53-year-old British woman has become the first person with Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, to die in Indonesia, according to local media reports.

It is not clear whether the woman - who was reportedly critically ill with multiple health conditions - died due to the virus.

On Wednesday, the Department of Health confirmed there had been 83 more cases since Tuesday. In all, 27,476 people have been tested so far.

Later, Wales confirmed four new cases.

There are now 387 confirmed cases in England, 36 in Scotland, 18 in Northern Ireland and 19 in Wales.

Scotland and Wales have also seen their first cases of community transmission - meaning the virus was contracted in the UK and is unrelated to travel.

Of the cases in England, London has the highest number, with 104. South-east England is the next highest infected area, with 60 cases, followed by south-west England with 44 cases.

Earlier, Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered the Budget and pledged the NHS would get "whatever resources it needs" during the crisis - whether it needed "millions of pounds or billions".

He said workers who fell ill would be able to get a sick note by ringing 111 rather than visiting a GP, and people who were self-employed who were off work because of the virus would be eligible for benefits from day one.

For businesses, Mr Sunak promised a temporary coronavirus loan scheme to help small and medium-sized companies and said the government would rebate firms with up to 250 people for the cost of statutory sick pay.

At-a-glance: Budget key points

Advice to tourists in Italy

The Foreign Office has issued a travel update for British nationals in Italy, urging all remaining tourists to contact their airline operators and return back to the UK.

People were still able to leave Italy without restrictions and airports were still open, the Foreign Office added.

Italy is the European country worst-hit by the coronavirus outbreak, with the whole of the country currently in lockdown.

Earlier this week, tourist Hannah Butcher from Newbury, who was in Rome, said it was "the weirdest holiday" she had ever been on, with one-in one-out rules to get into shops and families having to sit apart in restaurants.

The UK is currently in the "contain" phase of its four-part plan to deal with coronavirus, which causes the disease Covid-19.

Later on Wednesday, Boris Johnson is expected to welcome tech companies including Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon to No 10 to discuss efforts to tackle fake news about coronavirus and how to keep the public informed.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will also give a statement to MPs.

In other developments:

About 135 British passengers and crew members from the Grand Princess cruise ship in the port of Oakland, California - which was quarantined after an outbreak of coronavirus on board - will land in Birmingham later on Wednesday. They will be tested and, if the results are negative, go into self-isolation
The bank Barclay's is deep cleaning its London office in Canary Wharf after an employee tested positive
The chief executive of NHS England Sir Simon Stevens announced plans to invite "up to 18,000 third year undergraduate nurses to help out on the frontline"
Uber has said any driver or delivery person with coronavirus will receive "financial assistance for up to 14 days" - although it is not clear how much
Conservative health minister Nadine Dorries and one of her staff members have tested positive for the virus. A Labour MP and a constituent who came in to contact with the minister are self-isolating. The government said there were no plans to test any ministers or the prime minister, Boris Johnson
The Bank of England earlier announced an emergency cut in interest rates from 0.75% to 0.25% in response to the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak
Manchester City's Premier League match against Arsenal on Wednesday has been postponed as several Arsenal players are in self-isolation after coming into contact with Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis, who tested positive for the virus
Ireland has recorded its first coronavirus-related death, after a patient died in the east of the country on Wednesday

What are your experiences relating to the coronavirus outbreak? 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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2020-03-11 16:26:36Z
52780656996768

Coronavirus: Biggest daily rise as UK cases reach 456 - BBC News

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK has now reached 456, the biggest rise in a single day.

The Department of Health confirmed there had been 83 more cases since Tuesday. Six patients with coronavirus have died in hospitals in the UK.

It comes as NHS England plans to expand the number of people it can test in a day to 10,000, up from 1,500.

Confirmation of positive test results will also be sped up with most people receiving them within 24 hours.

The latest person to die with the virus in the UK was a man in his early 80s in Watford who had underlying health conditions.

Meanwhile, a 53-year-old British woman has become the first person with Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, to die in Indonesia, according to local media reports.

It is not clear whether the woman - who was reportedly critically ill with multiple health conditions - died due to the virus.

According to the latest figures from the Department of Health, so far 27,476 people have been tested in the UK as of 9:00 GMT on Wednesday.

The figures show 387 of the confirmed cases are in England, 36 are in Scotland, 18 are in Northern Ireland and 15 are in Wales.

It is the largest day on day jump, with cases more than doubling in four days.

Of the cases in England, London has the highest number, with 104. South-east England is the next highest infected area, with 60 cases, followed by south-west England with 44 cases.

Earlier, Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered the Budget and pledged the NHS would get "whatever resources it needs" during the crisis - whether it needed "millions of pounds or billions".

At-a-glance: Budget key points

Advice to tourists in Italy

The Foreign Office has issued a travel update for British nationals in Italy, urging all remaining tourists to contact their airline operators and return back to the UK.

People were still able to leave Italy without restrictions and airports were still open, the Foreign Office added.

Italy is the European country worst-hit by the coronavirus outbreak, with the whole of the country currently in lockdown.

The UK is currently in the "contain" phase of its four-part plan to deal with coronavirus. Health Secretary Matt Hancock is due to give a statement to MPs later.

In other developments:

About 135 British passengers and crew members from the Grand Princess cruise ship in the port of Oakland, California - which was quarantined after an outbreak of coronavirus on board - will land in Birmingham later on Wednesday. They will be tested and, if the results are negative, go into self-isolation
The bank Barclay's is deep cleaning its London office in Canary Wharf after an employee tested positive
The chief executive of NHS England Sir Simon Stevens announced plans to invite "up to 18,000 third year undergraduate nurses to help out on the frontline"
Uber has said any driver or delivery person with coronavirus will receive "financial assistance for up to 14 days" - although it is not clear how much
Conservative health minister Nadine Dorries and one of her staff members have tested positive for the virus. A Labour MP and a constituent who came in to contact with the minister are self-isolating. The government said there were no plans to test any ministers or the prime minister, Boris Johnson
The Bank of England earlier announced an emergency cut in interest rates from 0.75% to 0.25% in response to the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak
Manchester City's Premier League match against Arsenal on Wednesday has been postponed as several Arsenal players are in self-isolation after coming into contact with Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis, who tested positive for the virus

What are your experiences relating to the coronavirus outbreak? 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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2020-03-11 14:14:26Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MTgzOTEwNtIBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTE4MzkxMDY

Boris Johnson won't be tested despite UK health minister contracting coronavirus - CNN

Nadine Dorries, who attended a reception with the PM and his fiancé Carrie Symonds in Downing Street last Thursday, said in a statement on Tuesday that she had been diagnosed with the virus and is in self-isolation.

A government source said on Wednesday Johnson would not be tested, as he was displaying no symptoms and had not come in close contact with Dorries at the event. They pointed out the current medical advice claims you would need to be within 2 meters of someone carrying the infection, which Johnson at no point was.

Health officials are now racing to trace those who have had contact with Dorries, who has kept a busy diary of engagements in and around the UK's political center.

"I can confirm I have tested positive for Coronavirus," Dorries, a junior health minister, said in a statement released through the Department of Health. "As soon as I was informed I took all the advised precautions and have been self-isolating at home."

"It's been pretty rubbish but I hope I'm over the worst of it now," Dorries added on Twitter. "More worried about my 84yo mum who is staying with me and began with the cough today. She is being tested tomorrow."

Boris Johnson and Nadine Dorries at an event this year. The pair were both present at a reception in Downing Street last week.

Her diagnosis also raises questions about whether Britain's Parliament will need to be temporarily shut down. Officials confirmed to CNN that there are still no plans to take such a step.

Dorries was at an International Women's Day event in Downing Street last week alongside the Prime Minister and his partner, several other MPs and staffers.

The effort to identify all those who have been in contact with Dorries has led officials to advise another lawmaker, Labour's Rachael Maskell, to go into self-isolation after she met with the minister.

"Thankfully I am asymptomatic. It is so important that we all follow all public health advice," Maskell said on Twitter Wednesday.

Dorries also sent a message to the Conservative MPs' WhatsApp group telling them that a member of her staff has fallen ill, PA Media news agency reported.

Coronavirus outbreak worsens in Italy and Japan, as situation stabilizes in China

The UK's health secretary Matt Hancock, whose department has been leading Britain's coronavirus response, told lawmakers on Monday that he was against closing down Parliament as the outbreak spreads.

"Parliamentary scrutiny is incredibly important and I will do all that I can to ensure that Parliament remains open," Hancock said. Most MPs are expected on the estate on Wednesday, as the UK's annual budget is revealed.

Dorries' diagnosis comes as the UK's coronavirus cases near 400. Six people have died of the virus in the country.

Johnson on Monday set out his government's plan to tackle the outbreak, announcing a £46 million ($59 million) funding package to fight the spread.

But Johnson has resisted calls to follow a more drastic approach such as introducing a lockdown and banning public events.

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2020-03-11 13:05:00Z
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