Page QQQ Daily Mail, Tuesday, March 3, 2020
virus panic spreads
Does handwashing
really work?
YES. A new study published by the highly-
respected Cochrane Database which summa-
rises and interprets numerous studies says that
handwashing cuts the chances of contracting a
respiratory illness such as coronavirus by 54
per cent – the best odds of any deterrent.
So wash your hands – scrubbing every bit of
skin from your wrist downwards – at every
opportunity for at least 20 seconds (or for how-
ever long it takes to sing Happy Birthday in
your head twice).Should I use public
transport?
ONLY if necessary. If you can work from home
rather than commuting, and also minimise
shopping trips, you will greatly reduce your
infection risk.
One recent study in Nottingham found that
people who contracted the flu virus in 2011
were nearly six times more likely than others to
have travelled by public transport in the five
days before developing symptoms.
Planes, trains and buses are high-risk envi-
ronments for easily transmitted viruses – and
Covid-19 is particularly infectious – to spread
on to our hands via surfaces such as handrails,
seats and handles.
Some commuters are turning to extravagant
face masks which the World Health Organisa-
tion suggests can protect others if you are
coughing and spluttering. But if you’re more
concerned about your own welfare, keep your
hands in your pockets whenever possible and
try to travel at off-peak times.If I stay at home,
will I be safe?
NO. Family and friends can easily bring in the
virus. To reduce this threat, institute a hand-
washing rule for everyone as soon as they enter
the house. And make sure there is one hand
towel for each person. If that’s not practicable,
wash towels frequently.How should I
greet a friend?
KISSING somebody on the cheek is, as the
French government is warning, a one-way
ticket to speeding up viral transmission. As to
kissing on the mouth... just say no!
According to GP and health commentator Dr
Rosemary Leonard, we should ‘stop shaking
hands’ too.
Perhaps that’s why Germany’s interior minis-
ter Horst Seehofer waved away Chancellor
Angela Merkel’s hand at a meeting yesterday.
The safest way to greet someone is to simply
say: ‘Hello.’ But if that’s not enough, recent
tests by Aberystwyth University show that fist-
bumping transfers only a tenth of the bacteria
that a handshake transmits.Do I need to change the
way I wash my clothes?
ACCORDING to the NHS all underwear, tow-
els and household linen should be washed at
60C or 40C with a bleach-based laundry prod-
uct to prevent microbes spreading.
There’s no point adding more detergent, as
modern machines are programmed to break
up and wash away surplus cleaning agent.
Using a dryer on high heat for more than 28
minutes can also kill harmful micro-organisms- though you could also hang up your washing
outdoors in direct sunlight, which has disin-
fecting properties.
Always remember to wash your hands after
handling dirty laundry.
Should I stockpile food?
THERE’S no need to hoard for a nuclear win-
ter, but it might be wise to have some long-
lasting foods in the larder.
Ian Mackay, a virologist at the University of
Queensland, Australia, has suggested buy-
ing cereals, grains, beans, lentils, pasta,
tinned fish, vegetables, fruit, oil, dried fruit,
nuts, powdered milk and a few sweet treats.✁
Pupils stay home
as schools ignore
minister’s advice
‘I’ M sorry, I shouldn’t – but if I don’t laugh
I’ll cry,’ was the reaction of one resident
of Haslemere yesterday.
Others in the virus-hit Surrey town were
also determined to see the bright side,
with pranksters putting up spoof signs
claiming to be ‘twinned with Wuhan’, the
Chinese city where the epidemic began.
The town has been on high alert after a
spate of diagnoses in the area and nearby,
starting with a local man on Friday.
In an ironic twist, the town was the set-
ting for Contagion! a BBC documentary
looking at how a flu outbreak might
spread across Britain, just two years ago.Well, at least
someone is
having a joke
SCHOOL closures have left parents at
the mercy of employers who do not
have to pay them for days spent at home
looking after their children.
Amid fears that coronavirus could
cause a childcare crisis, official advice
stressed there is ‘no statutory right
to pay’ in such a scenario.
The guidance – from Acas, the Gov-
ernment’s Advisory, Conciliation and
Arbitration Service – states that ‘some
employers might offer pay depending
on the contract or workplace policy’,
adding: ‘The amount of time off an
employee takes to look after someone
must be reasonable... they might taketwo days off to start with, and if more
time is needed they can book holiday.’
As many as five million workers could
be left without sick pay if they are
forced to self-isolate.
Those who do not qualify for employer
or state sick pay include around three
million ‘gig economy’ workers in casual
or zero-hours jobs such as driving Uber
cars, plus two million otherwise self-
employed. Their only option if they are
sick or told to self-isolate for two weeks
is to claim state benefits.
Acas urged bosses to be accommo-
dating, saying staff who keep working
‘could spread the virus if they have it’.Pay fears for parents who take
time off to look after children
THOUSANDS of children were
told to stay at home yesterday
- despite the Education Secre-
tary saying schools should
remain open in most cases.
Eleven schools closed yesterday
with almost all citing either a
pupil or staff member testing pos-
itive, saying they needed a ‘deep
clean’ or that there was a short-
age of teachers.
After a confirmed case involving a
child from Churston Ferrers Gram-
mar School near Brixham, Devon,
yesterday, four primaries also shut
for the day – apparently over fears
about pupils with siblings at the
affected school.
With health chiefs warning schools
could potentially be closed for two
months if the outbreak gets out of
A TOP drama school has shut down after a
teacher tested positive for coronavirus.
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in
central London, which counts James Bond
star Daniel Craig among its alumni, yesterday
said the closure would last up to two weeks.
An email from the principal to staff and stu-
dents, seen by the Guardian, said the teacher
‘came into contact with a limited number of
students’ and was recovering in hospital. ‘He
was teaching in one of the ancillary school
buildings on one day last week,’ it added.
All on-site events, including performances
and workshops, are being scrapped as staff
were encouraged to work from home.
The school, in the Barbican Centre, has about
1,000 students. Other alumni include Noel Cow-
ard, Ewan McGregor and Orlando Bloom.control, the exam regulator
called for affected pupils to be
given special dispensation in
this summer’s exams.
Last week more than 30
schools closed or sent home
children who had returned
from ski trips in northern Italy,
scene of a major outbreak.
Many of those are reopening.
Education Secretary Gavin
Williamson yesterday reiter-
ated to MPs that schools
‘should stay open unless
they’re advised otherwise by
Public Health England’. He
told the Commons his depart-
ment was ‘making sure that
we have regular communica-
tions to all educational set-
tings, making sure they have a
clear understanding of some
of the challenges in dealing
with the coronavirus’.
His comments underlined
Department for Education
guidance which states thatcomplete closure of schools is
likely to be ‘unnecessary’, even
if there are confirmed cases.
Yesterday, the closure of
Churston Ferrers Grammar
was followed by feeder schools
Collaton St Mary in Paignton,
Galmpton Primary School in
Brixham, Berry Pomeroy Pri-
mary School in Totnes and
Brixham Church of England
P rimary School and P re -
School. It is understood theprimaries will reopen today. In
south-west London, St Cecil-
ia’s School in Southfields said
it was shutting for the rest of
the week because of two
unconfirmed cases of corona-
virus in individuals recently
returned from Italy.
Wimbledon College in south-
west London revealed it would
close until next Tuesday after
a member of staff tested posi-
tive after a trip to Italy.
St Mary’s Primary School in
Tetbury, Gloucestershire, also
s a i d i t w o u l d s h u t u n t i l
tomorrow after a staff mem-
ber was infected.
Willow Bank Junior School
in Reading said it would be
closing until Thursday after a
case in neighbouring Willow
Bank Infant School.
Aldryngton Primary, Read-
ing, was also shut after an
infected individual attended a
training session there.By Josh White
and James Tozer
By John Naish
007’s alma mater is closed