The UK is “very close” to insisting a seven-day self-isolation upon anyone with “even minor respiratory tract infections or a fever”, England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty has said.
Professor Whitty said that the UK will reach that stage “probably within the next 10-14 days”.
His comments came an hour before NHS England confirmed that a fifth patient in the UK has died after testing positive for coronavirus.
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We can confirm that sadly, a patient in their seventies who was very unwell with a number of significant and long-term health conditions has passed away at St Helier Hospital.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK remained in the “contain” phase of the response to coronavirus but added that “we are making extensive preparations for a move to the delay phase”.
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