LONDON (AP) — Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, his office said Wednesday.
The 71-year-old is showing mild symptoms of COVID-19 and is self-isolating at a royal estate in Scotland, his Clarence House office said.
It says his wife Camilla, 72, has tested negative.
“The Prince of Wales has tested positive for Coronavirus,” Clarence House said. “He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual.’’
Britain’s Press Association, citing a source, said the prince and the duchess remained in good spirits, and that Charles was not bedridden.
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The tests were carried out by the National Health Service in Scotland.
“It is not possible to ascertain from whom the prince caught the virus owing to the high number of engagements he carried out in his public role during recent weeks,” the statement said
Buckingham Palace said Queen Elizabeth II, 93, remains at her home in Windsor with the 98-year-old Duke of Edinburgh.
“Her Majesty the queen remains in good health,” the palace said. “The queen last saw the Prince of Wales briefly after the investiture on the morning of 12th March and is following all the appropriate advice with regard to her welfare.”
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Prince Philip was not with the monarch when she last saw Charles.
Charles’ last public engagement was March 12. He has had a number of private meetings, and participants at those sessions have been made aware of his condition.
Charles attended a roundtable meeting on March 10 with Monaco’s Prince Albert II, who has since tested positive for COVID-19. The British royal is not believed to have shaken hands with Albert at the WaterAid Summit in London on that day.
Charles has been photographed doing the namaste gesture, with hands pressed together, at public events in recent weeks, including the Commonwealth Day Service on March 9 at Westminster Abbey. The event was the last formal engagement of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan.
LONDON (Reuters) - Prince Charles, the 71-year-old heir to the British throne, has tested positive for coronavirus but is in good health and is now self isolating in Scotland.
FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prince Charles looks on during a visit to the London Transport Museum, in London, Britain March 4, 2020. Victoria Jones/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Charles, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth, is displaying what Clarence House said were mild symptoms but remains in good health and has been working from his home on the Balmoral Estate in Scotland. His wife, Camilla, tested negative.
“The Prince of Wales has tested positive for coronavirus,” Clarence House said. “He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual.”
“The Duchess of Cornwall has also been tested but does not have the virus,” Clarence House said.
A royal source said the Prince of Wales was tested on Monday and got the results on Tuesday. Charles has spoken to both Queen Elizabeth and his children.
He last saw the 93-year-old monarch on the morning of March 12 following an investiture, before the earliest time he would have been infectious.
“Her Majesty The Queen remains in good health,” Buckingham Palace said. “The Queen last saw The Prince of Wales briefly after the investiture on the morning of 12th March and is following all the appropriate advice with regard to her welfare.”
A royal source said that the earliest Charles would have been infectious was March 13.
Queen Elizabeth left London for Windsor Castle on March 19. She is with her 98-year-old husband, Philip.
“It is not possible to ascertain from whom the Prince caught the virus owing to the high number of engagements he carried out in his public role during recent weeks,” Clarence House said.
Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden; Editing by Kate Holton and Alison Williams
FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prince Charles looks on during a visit to the London Transport Museum, in London, Britain March 4, 2020. Victoria Jones/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) - Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, has tested positive for coronavirus, his household said.
Charles, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth, is 71 years old.
“The Prince of Wales has tested positive for Coronavirus,” Clarence House said in a statement. “He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual.”
“The Duchess of Cornwall has also been tested but does not have the virus,” Clarence House said. The Prince and his wife, Camilla, are self-isolating at home in Scotland.
“It is not possible to ascertain from whom the Prince caught the virus owing to the high number of engagements he carried out in his public role during recent weeks.”
Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden; editing by Kate holton
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The mayor of Bergamo, a city in the northern Lombardy region, which is the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy, said Monday he was flying his two daughters home from the United Kingdom to keep them safe amid the pandemic.
Giorgio Gori, who has been mayor of Bergamo since 2014, said his two daughters – one in college in Taunton, and another pursuing a master’s in Canterbury – would return to Italy because the British government is not doing enough to protect the public against the spread of infection.
“When I saw what the English government was thinking about this problem, I decided to bring them back, because I think that even if we are at the center of the epidemic, probably they are more secure here than in England, because I don’t understand why the government didn’t decide in time to protect their citizens,” Gori told Sky News on Monday.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday ordered most stores closed and banned gatherings for three weeks to tackle the spread of the virus. He had been criticized for the United Kingdom’s relaxed approach to the pandemic, compared with other countries like Italy, Spain and France, which rolled out nationwide lockdowns since earlier this month.
Undertakers carry a coffin out of a hearse at Bergamo's cemetery, northern Italy, March 16. Bergamo is one of the cities most hit by the new coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)
The prime minister implemented the closures after photos from the weekend showed many Brits breaking government social distancing guidelines at public parks and playgrounds. The U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Monday called those ignoring guidelines “very selfish,” adding that the government would do more to enforce measures if needed, according to The Guardian.
The death toll in the U.K. stands at 335, with at least 6,733 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University on Tuesday morning. In Italy, at least 6,077 people have died after contracting coronavirus, making it the country with the most deaths. There are at least 63,927 confirmed cases in Italy, falling behind only China, where the virus was first reported in late December.
Bergamo, which is northeast of Milan, is the worst virus-stricken area in Italy, but, despite its high death toll, the city's rate of infection has recently slowed, The Guardian reported. Last week, the Italian military deployed at least 10 trucks to Bergamo to pick up coffins from the city crematorium and several morgues overwhelmed by the recent spike of deaths, national newspaper Corriere Della Sera reported.
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered Britons on Monday to stay at home to halt the spread of coronavirus, imposing curbs on everyday life without precedent in peacetime.
All but essential shops must close immediately and people should no longer meet family or friends or risk being fined, Johnson said in a televised address to the nation.
Johnson had resisted pressure to impose a full lockdown even as other European countries had done so, but was forced to change tack as projections showed the health system could become overwhelmed.
Deaths from the virus in Britain jumped 54 to 335 on Monday as the government said the military would help ship millions of items of personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks to healthcare workers who have complained of shortages.
“From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home,” Johnson said in a televised address, replacing his daily news conference.
They would only be allowed to leave their homes to shop for basic necessities, exercise, for a medical need, to provide care or traveling to and from work where absolutely necessary.
“That’s all - these are the only reasons you should leave your home,” he said, adding that people should not meet friends or family members who do not live in their home.
“If you don’t follow the rules, the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings,” he warned.
The new measures here would be reviewed in three weeks, and relaxed if possible.
“These rules are not optional,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said.
The opposition Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn said he supported the measures, and police chiefs said the moves were sensible, and that they would be working with the government on how to enforce them.
The government will close all shops selling non-essential goods, Johnson said, including clothing stores, as well as other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship.
A woman watches British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's press conference as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Ouston, Britain March 23, 2020. REUTERS/Lee Smith
The British Retail Consortium said shop owners understood the gravity of the situation.
The tougher tone followed evidence at the weekend that many were ignoring official guidelines about social distancing as they flocked to parks and beauty spots.
Under the new measures, the government will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public who do not live together, and stop all social events, including weddings and baptisms but not funerals.
Parks would remain open for exercise but gatherings would be dispersed, Johnson said.
Later on Monday, Britain’s lower house of parliament is expected to approve emergency legislation giving authorities sweeping powers to tackle the outbreak, including the right to detain people and put them in isolation to protect public health.
“Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses,” Johnson said in his address.
Earlier, in a letter pleading with him to increase PPE supplies, more than 6,000 frontline doctors warned they felt like “cannon fodder” and were being asked to put their lives at risk with out-of-date masks, and low stocks of equipment.
Slideshow (19 Images)
Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted there had been issues but promised action was being taken. He said the army would drive trucks throughout the day and night to get supplies to medical staff.
“It’s like a war effort - it is a war against this virus and so the army have been incredibly helpful in getting those logistics so we can get the supplies to protect people on the front line,” he told the BBC, saying the health service now had 12,000 ventilators, 7,000 more than at the start of the crisis.
Reporting by Kate Holton, Sarah Young, Costas Pitas, David Milliken, Elizabeth Howcroft, Alistair Smout and Andrew MacAskill; Writing by Michael Holden and Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Stephen Addison
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered Britons on Monday to stay at home to halt the spread of coronavirus, imposing curbs on everyday life without precedent in peacetime.
All but essential shops must close immediately and people should no longer meet family or friends or risk being fined, Johnson said in a televised address to the nation.
Johnson had resisted pressure to impose a full lockdown even as other European countries had done so, but was forced to change tack as projections showed the health system could become overwhelmed.
Deaths from the virus in Britain jumped 54 to 335 on Monday as the government said the military would help ship millions of items of personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks to healthcare workers who have complained of shortages.
“From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home,” Johnson said in a televised address, replacing his daily news conference.
They would only be allowed to leave their homes to shop for basic necessities, exercise, for a medical need, to provide care or traveling to and from work where absolutely necessary.
“That’s all - these are the only reasons you should leave your home,” he said, adding that people should not meet friends or family members who do not live in their home.
“If you don’t follow the rules, the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings,” he warned.
The new measures here would be reviewed in three weeks, and relaxed if possible.
“These rules are not optional,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said.
The opposition Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn said he supported the measures, and police chiefs said the moves were sensible, and that they would be working with the government on how to enforce them.
The government will close all shops selling non-essential goods, Johnson said, including clothing stores, as well as other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship.
A woman watches British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's press conference as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Ouston, Britain March 23, 2020. REUTERS/Lee Smith
The British Retail Consortium said shop owners understood the gravity of the situation.
The tougher tone followed evidence at the weekend that many were ignoring official guidelines about social distancing as they flocked to parks and beauty spots.
Under the new measures, the government will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public who do not live together, and stop all social events, including weddings and baptisms but not funerals.
Parks would remain open for exercise but gatherings would be dispersed, Johnson said.
Later on Monday, Britain’s lower house of parliament is expected to approve emergency legislation giving authorities sweeping powers to tackle the outbreak, including the right to detain people and put them in isolation to protect public health.
“Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses,” Johnson said in his address.
Earlier, in a letter pleading with him to increase PPE supplies, more than 6,000 frontline doctors warned they felt like “cannon fodder” and were being asked to put their lives at risk with out-of-date masks, and low stocks of equipment.
Slideshow (19 Images)
Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted there had been issues but promised action was being taken. He said the army would drive trucks throughout the day and night to get supplies to medical staff.
“It’s like a war effort - it is a war against this virus and so the army have been incredibly helpful in getting those logistics so we can get the supplies to protect people on the front line,” he told the BBC, saying the health service now had 12,000 ventilators, 7,000 more than at the start of the crisis.
Reporting by Kate Holton, Sarah Young, Costas Pitas, David Milliken, Elizabeth Howcroft, Alistair Smout and Andrew MacAskill; Writing by Michael Holden and Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Stephen Addison
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain awoke to a virtual lockdown on Tuesday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered people to stay at home, shops to close and an end to all social gatherings to halt the spread of coronavirus.
People jog in Battersea Park, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in London, Britain, March 24, 2020. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
The unprecedented peacetime restrictions, which will last for at least three weeks, were brought in to prevent the state-run National Health Service (NHS) from being overwhelmed as the number of deaths in Britain rose to 335. [nL8N2BG8XV]
However, social media images showed London Underground trains were still packed with commuters and one large retail chain suggested it wanted to stay open.
There were complaints that the advice was confusing or did not go far enough.
“It is absolutely critical for making sure our NHS is in the strongest position possible to restrict the spread,” Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove told BBC TV.
“That means restricting social contact and following the advice the government has put forward. People must stay at home to protect themselves, to protect the NHS and to save lives.”
The curbs on movement, under which people should only leave their homes for very limited reasons such as going to supermarkets or once a day for exercise, were announced in a national address by Johnson late on Monday.
He had resisted bringing in lockdowns which other European countries have introduced, but earlier advice for Britons to avoid gatherings was being widely ignored with people flocking to parks and beauty spots.
All but essential shops must close immediately and people should no longer meet family or friends. Police will break up gatherings of more than two people and social events such as weddings, although not funerals, will be stopped.
Gove said stronger measures than 30-pound ($35) fines for people who flouted the new restrictions could be introduced.
“The police have a range of enforcement tools, and of course fixed-penalty notices and fines are just one of them. If people do persist in behaving in an antisocial way, there are stronger measures that we have,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
Police said they were working with government to see how the rules could be effectively enforced.
CONFUSION
Not everyone though was abiding by the tough measures. Sports Direct, a sports clothing chain owned by Frasers Group, initially indicated it would defy the order to close but later said it had asked the government for permission to open stores.[L8N2BH22Y]
Gove said Sports Direct was not an essential shop and should close.
However, there was confusion about who should be allowed to continue going to work and what powers the police had to enforce the new guidance. Gove himself had to correct a mistaken message he gave in an earlier interview that children of divorced or separated children could not move between parents.
Pictures showed the capital’s Underground trains were still crammed with passengers far closer than the 2 meters (6 foot) recommended distance apart and London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he disagreed with the current definition of an essential worker
Slideshow (16 Images)
“There has been a difference of opinion, I’ve got to be frank, between myself and the government on this issue,” he told BBC TV. “But I am quite clear - only if you really have to go to work must you be going to work.”
Finance minister Rishi Sunak was expected to announce new measures later on Tuesday to help the self-employed so that they would not have to go to work, after critics said the billions of pounds of measures to help businesses announced so far did not protect them.
($1 = 0.8582 pounds)
Additional reporting by Sarah Young, Paul Sandle and James Davey; Writing by Michael Holden and Giles Elgood
