Daily Mail - 03.03.2020

Page  QQQ Daily Mail, Tuesday, March 3, 2020

inside: Puzzles & Prizes 41-44, TV & Radio 54-

Cainer 58, Letters 60 & 61, City & Finance 69-7

IF YOU CAN’T GET YOUR DAILY MAIL...

If the Mail was unavailable at your retail outlet

please let us know by emailing availability@

dailymail.co.uk or call 0330 100 0601 and we will

endeavour to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Clarifications & corrections

All our journalists observe the

Editors’ Code of Practice and the Mail

is a member of the Independent

Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).

We aim to correct any errors as

promptly as possible.

n To report an inaccuracy, please

email [email protected].

To make a formal complaint go to

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/readerseditor.

You can also write to Readers’

Editor, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street,

London W8 5TT or contact IPSO

directly at ipso.co.uk

ply holding hands to reas-

sure patients.

The Prime Minister said the

Government was preparing for

‘a possibly very significant

expansion of coronavirus in

the UK’, adding: ‘That’s clearly

on the cards – it is possible

that we will see a big expan-

sion in the number of cases.’

He said the battle plan would

set out a menu of options for

dealing with a serious out-

break. Ministers hope to con-

tain the virus but, if that

proves impossible, to at least

delay the peak until after the

winter when the NHS is under

less strain.

They will focus initially on

keeping schools open and will

bring forward emergency leg-

islation this month to suspend

rules on class sizes in order to

let teachers take on additional

pupils from sick colleagues.

The plan is expected to

include measures for a ‘Dad’s

Army’ of retired doctors and

nurses to be able to re-regis-

ter with medical watchdogs

and provide treatment with

full insurance. It will also set

out details for extra mortuary

capacity should there be a

spike in deaths.

It is understood that in a

worst-case scenario, the police

could be asked to enforce road

and building closures, and the

Army could be drafted in to

enforce lockdowns where nec-

essary. Later in the week, a

major public information cam-

paign will be launched setting

out clear steps the public can

take to limit the spread of the

virus, including washing their

hands regularly.

Whitehall sources warned

that the peak of the virus may

not come for months although

they declined to comment on

its possible scale.

N i c o l a S t u r g e o n , w h o

phoned in to yesterday’s Gov-

e r n m e n t C o b r a m e e t i n g,

revealed that experts believe

that in a ‘realistic worst-case’

outcome, 50-80 per cent of

Scots could catch the virus in

the coming months.

The SNP first minister said

that 4 per cent of Scots could

end up in hospital over a long

period. Whitehall sources

a c k n o w l e d g e d t h i s c o u l d

translate into more than two

million people across the UK.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak last

night accepted that a severe

outbreak could hit the econ-

omy but said the Treasury was

working on a package ‘to sup-

port your families, your busi-

nesses and the public services

on which you rely’.

Officials are understood to

be preparing to set aside bil-

lions of pounds in next week’s

Budget to help firms and

workers cope with the eco-

nomic fallout from a poten-

tially major epidemic.

Mr Hancock warned that

the impact on the NHS could

be amplified by thousands

of frontline staff themselves

succumbing to the virus.

He said: ‘This is about

providing the best possible

c a r e f o r t h o s e w h o f a l l

sick, with the best use of

resources in the hospital sys-

tem which will come under

major pressure.’

hundreds of flights, ruining the plans of

thousands of travellers;

n Global economic growth could be

slashed in half, according to the

Organisation for Economic Coopera-

tion and Development;

n The public were urged to clean their

smartphone screens with alcohol wipes

twice a day to help prevent the spread;

n At least 11 more schools closed after

positive coronavirus tests or scares –

despite Government advice to shut

only on the orders of health officials;

n The NHS 111 helpline reported it was

receiving a 70 per cent increase in calls

compared with last year;

n Stores reported seeing a surge in

panic buying and experts warned of

food riots in a worst-case scenario;

n As many as five million workers could

be left without sick pay if they are

forced to stay home;

n The Health Secretary said the Gov-

ernment had powers to compel patients

to self-isolate if they refused to;

n The World Health Organisation

warned that the situation was now

‘uncharted territory’;

n Buckingham Place said an investi-

ture today would go ahead and there

were no plans to alter royal itineraries;

n City firms banned ‘hot desking’ and

large meetings of more than 25 staff.

Would-be NHS volunteers have to

wait between three and six months

while they undergo criminal records

checks, occupational health assess-

Continued from Page One

ments and training. By the time they

have been cleared, the pandemic is

likely to have come and gone and

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is hop-

ing to make the process easier and

more efficient.

Last winter the Mail launched a

major campaign that led to 34,000 of

our readers becoming volunteers in

roles including serving tea and sim-

pAGEs 4-

Flights and

schools chaos

PLAy more Kurosu

and 6 addictive

puzzles like them

every day on your

smartphone or tablet

with Mail Plus, your

Mail newspaper on

your screen. Get a

FREE trial today at

dailymailplus.co.uk

solution, see puzzles

& prizes back page

EvEry day in the Mail you can play Kurosu,

the most addictive brainteaser since

Sudoku. There are only two rules:

1: Fill in each space with either a nought or a

cross so there are no more than two consecutive

noughts or crosses in any row or column.

Important note: diagonals don’t count.

: Each row and column must contain three

noughts and three crosses.

X X

O O

O X

X

X

O

X

X

KUROsU

Today’s difficulty rating ★★✩

HOW THE BUG

IS SPREADING

BRITAIN

CASES:

39

BRIGHTON: 6

‘Superspreader’

Steve Walsh got

virus in

Singapore and

infected five

others on French

skiing holiday

LONDON: 4

Two infected

in Iran, one

in China, and

another

announced

yesterday

WIRRAL: 4

All evacuated

from Diamond

Princess cruise ship in

Japan and now in quarantine

SURREY: 3

First one returned

from Milan, then two

in same family

contracted virus here

WEST

SUSSEX: 2

Contracted

from a man

in Surrey

BELFAST: 1

Came from

northern Italy

via Dublin

SWANSEA: 1

Had been in

northern Italy

ESSEX: 1

A new case

who had not

travelled

abroad

GLOUCESTERSHIRE: 2

Primary school worker who

returned from northern

Italy, and another

announced yesterday

HERTFORDSHIRE: 3

One new case found

yesterday

BERKSHIRE: 1

Primary school

staffmember who

had been overseas

BURY: 1

Came from

northern Italy

KENT: 1

NHS worker

who was

DEVON: 2 recently in Italy

Secondary school pupil

and relative were

infected in northern Italy

LEEDS: 2

Infected in Iran

BRADFORD: 1

Infected in Italy

TAYSIDE: 1 case

First Scottish case,

returned from Italy

YORK: 2

Chinese student

and his mother

DERBYSHIRE: 1

Had been on

holiday in Tenerife

mailplus.co.uk/briefings

WATCH MORE AT

WATCH MORE AT

mailplus.co.uk/briefings