UK advised to take ‘drastic’ action to avoid Italian-style lock down

The UK has been advised by experts to take drastic action to avoid drastic measures, such as Italy’s current lock down. Approximately 60 million Italians are now under quarantine conditions – a situation that the UK could potentially find itself in, if the country’s senior ministers don’t take swift action, according to the experts.

Sergio Brusin of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, believes a lock down in the UK could also be an option in as little as two weeks if UK officials do not take ‘more drastic action’. “If you don’t do anything then thousands of cases will come. The UK is in the same situation Italy was two weeks ago,” Brusin pointed out, while speaking on Victoria Derbyshire. “Italy went from 200 to 1000 in 10 days. That’s how this disease is working.”

UK officials said new tighter measures to protect the public, particularly the vulnerable and elderly, could be introduced in the next two weeks, as the Government enters its ‘delay’ part of the plan to contain the Coronavirus.

GPs have already warned that routine surgery appointments may have to stop, as the number of UK COVID-19 cases continues to rise. A total of 373 UK cases were announced on Tuesday 10^th March, up from 54 from the previous day, with nine additional cases confirmed by health officials in Wales later in the day.

England’s deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, has so far defended the decision to delay closing schools and introducing other stringent measures. However, she said she expects significant increases in the number of Coronavirus cases in the UK, in around 10-14 days time, at which point people with flu-like symptoms would be advised to self-isolate.