Thursday, March 5, 2020QQQthe point of
no return
UK cases leap to 87 ++ Aggressive new strain found ++
With country losing battle to contain virus, we’re near ...
What it’s really
like to catch corona
- by the first British victim
see pAges 8-
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By sophie Borland, Jason groves
and Ben spencer
BRITAIN is on the brink of a
critical new phase in the coro-
navirus crisis after the biggest
surge in cases in one day.
Ministers are now expected to esca-
late their response which would mean
no longer trying to ‘contain’ the dis-
ease’s seemingly inevitable spread.
Instead, the focus will be on ‘delaying’ the
peak of the epidemic until the spring or
summer – in the hope that the consequences
for the nation would be far less severe.
Yesterday, the Department of Health
announced that 36 new patients had been
diagnosed with the disease, bringing the
total number of cases in the UK to 87.
It came as scientists warned that a new,
more aggressive strain of coronavirus had
emerged in China.
The growing scale of the outbreak has
triggered huge public concern, with signs
of panic buying in supermarkets and peo-
ple travelling on public transport in make-
shift masks. The travel industry is also in
turmoil and airline Flybe was last night set
to collapse following a slump of bookings
since the start of the crisis,
This afternoon, the Government’s scien-
tific advisory group for emergencies will
discuss moving up from the ‘contain’ phase
to the ‘delay’ phase. Ultimately, the ChiefTurn to page 2
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reality check: a woman in a coronavirus mask in front of a poster for daniel craig’s latest OO7 film No Time To die