Professor just back from Wuhan lays into government's coronavirus advice

28 January 2020, 09:25

A British academic who's recently returned from the Chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak has criticised the advice from health officials.

The coronavirus outbreak has now claimed 106 lives, with the total reported cases now over 4,500, according to officials in China.

Yesterday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that people who've returned to the UK from the city where the virus originated should "self-isolate", even if they have no symptoms.

Professor Martin Dove has told Nick despite feeling well, he thinks he should be tested.

Speaking to Nick Ferrari, he said: "It seems to me that some sort of isolation is probably sensible, but it also seems to me that there is so much uncertainty to all of this.

"Self-isolation until when? It's not obvious from what I've heard or what I've read.

"I think it would probably help if some of us where tested when we came back so that it was clear if we were carriers or not carriers.

"I don't feel unwell and I think I'm probably not carrying, but they don't know if people have to be showing symptoms to be carriers.

An ambulance worker walking through Wuhan
An ambulance worker walking through Wuhan. Picture: PA

"The number of people coming back from Wuhan is not so large, that I would have thought they should be thinking about testing.

"That seems more sensible than telling us to stay indoors and not telling us when we can leave."

Watch his full interview at the top of the page.

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