Everything you need to know about Boris Johnson’s new Covid-19 guidance
16 March 2020, 19:47 | Updated: 16 March 2020, 19:56
Boris Johnson gave his first daily coronavirus public briefing - here's everything you need to know about the government's latest advice.
- The Prime Minister has advised that Britons stop "non-essential" contact with others - he called for people to particularly avoid those over 70, pregnant women and those with health conditions
- People with the "most serious health conditions” must avoid almost all social contact for 12 weeks
- People should not travel unless absolutely necessary
- Whole households must isolate for 14 days if just one person in the household contracts coronavirus
- People must avoid social spaces including pubs, restaurants and theatres and must work from home if possible - particularly in London, the PM said, which is a "virus hotspot"
- From Tuesday, emergency workers and ambulances will no longer be deployed at mass gatherings
Chief medical officer Chris Whitty also announced in the press conference that there are three types of deaths we must be aware of:
- Direct deaths from the virus
- Indirect deaths if the NHS becomes overwhelmed
- Deaths caused by the negative effects of measures put in place, such as self isolation.
This advice comes as 53 people in the UK have died after testing positive for coronavirus, a surge by 18 in the last 24 hours.
The first death in Wales has been reported - the patient, 68, had underlying health conditions and died in Wrexham.
Read more: coronavirus updates LIVE
