Daily Mail, Tuesday, March 3, 2020^ Page This will also cut your number of
shopping trips – thus reducing
your risk of exposure – and could
be useful in the unlikely event
that your town or city is put into
lockdown.
(If you rely on online supermar-
ket delivery, be sure to order your
items well in advance. Online
supermarket Ocado is warning
that some customers are buying
‘particularly large orders’ and
‘delivery slots are selling out
quicker than expected’.What if my town
is locked down?
HEALTH Secretary Matt Han-
cock has refused to rule out plac-
ing British cities on lockdown –when residents’ movements are
restricted – as is the case in parts
of China and northern Italy.
Under the Civil Contingencies
Act 2004, the Government has
the power to close schools, shut
down public transport and stop
mass gatherings to protect the
public – though it seems unlikely
it will be enforced.Will exams be
affected?
STUDENTS should keep on swot-
ting. The exam watchdog Ofqual
announced yesterday that schools
in England should prepare as
usual for the summer exam sea-
son. However, the Government
will make contingency plans ifthere is a ‘widespread outbreak’.What about
school trips?
SOME overseas trips by schools,
colleges and universities are being
cancelled already. Even visits to
places outside virus-stricken
areas are affected, as some
institutions are concerned
that shepherding young-
sters through highly
populated zones
such as air-
ports may
be a risk
too far.
Check
with your
schooletc for the most up -to - date
information.Should older
people worry?
THE evidence so far is that older
people (especially those with
underlying health issues) who
have weaker immune systems are
at greater risk of serious illness
and death. Children and young
adults seem more resilient.
According to recent analysis of
more than 44,000 cases from
China, the death rate was ten
times higher in the very elderly
compared with the middle-aged.
The elderly should be encouraged
to limit their outings and social
contact and insist that visitors
wash their hands upon arrival.
So the real question is: how keen
are you to go out? Any concert
trip, for example, raises the risk of
catching winter flu and colds.
It’s important to factor in the
current state of health of your
guest and how likely it is they’ll be
exposed to the virus – but ulti-
mately it’s up to you and them
whether you want to risk it.What about
prescriptions?
FACTORY shutdowns in China
where many vital ingredients for
common drugs are made are an
issue. Some of the largest phar-
maceutical companies – including
AstraZeneca and Pfizer – have
said that the outbreak could
affect their supplies.
There is some evidence of panic-
buying of over-the-counter medi-
cines, though none of these will
protect against coronavirus or its
worst symptoms. Ocado has
reportedly just sold out of Calpol.Can I carry on
going to church?
THE Church of England has said
that there is no need to change
normal faith practices, such as
taking wine from the communal
chalice. But the Catholic Church is
warning against taking wine from
the chalice and advising congrega-
tions to accept the communion
wafer in their hands rather than
have it placed on the tongue.Can you get
infected twice?
IF you get infected and fight off
the infection, then your immune
system will be primed with anti-
bodies to destroy the virus should
you be exposed again. It’s like
being vaccinated, and should be
just as effective.
However, there are fears that the
virus can lie dormant in the body
with minimal symptoms, and then
return. This seems to have hap-
pened to one Japanese woman
whose symptoms re - emerged
after she had been declared
infection-free.Should I cancel
my ski trip?
KEEP an eye on the gov.uk web-
site for latest travel advice. If it
advises against travel to a certain
region and you decide to go, your
insurance won’t be valid. Nor will
insurers pay out if you cancel a
holiday to a location that is not
deemed high risk.
As of last night, there were no
warnings about French, Swiss,
Italian and Austrian ski resorts –
although the Foreign Office
advises against ‘all but essential
travel’ to 11 small towns in north-
ern Italy.Can my dog catch
the virus?
ACCORDING to the World Health
Organisation, there’s no evidence
at present that dogs or cats can
be infected with coronavirus. But
given the virus is believed to have
already jumped species once –
there is speculation that it origi-
nated in bats – we cannot rule it
out from happening again.
Always wash your hands with
soap and hot water after contact
with pets.Any
upsides?
AS counter-intuitive as
it may seem, quite pos-
sibly. If people heed
the new health warn-
ings, adopt rigorous
personal hygiene hab-
its – and stick to them- we may well see a
drop in infectious dis-
eases overall.
From home hygiene, to schools,
food and friends, a cut out and
keep guide to stick on your fridge
Precautions: Angela Merkel’s interior minister refuses to shake her hand, circled, yesterday