© REUTERS / Toby Melville
An elderly spectator attends the annual Henley Royal Regatta rowing festival in Henley-on-Thames, Britain.
UK's Health Secretary confirmed plans to isolate people aged over 70
for up to four months amid a coronavirus pandemic. The goal is to protect them, but critics say it may be a really bad idea.
Isolating the elderly is "clearly in the action plan" Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told Sky News, confirming earlier reports in the British media. "We will be setting it out with more detail when it's the right time to do," he added, which may come within weeks.
"We absolutely appreciate that it is a very big ask of the elderly and the vulnerable, and it's for their own self-protection," Hancock told Sky News' Sophy Ridge.
Earlier ITV's political editor Robert Peston said the British government was
likely to enforce a "wartime-style" mobilization effort and other emergency measures, including isolation of elderly people.
Britain has 1,140 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 disease, with the death toll standing at 21. Elderly people have shown to be more vulnerable to the virus, as they are more likely to develop serious symptoms.
The British government has been criticized for its response to the coronavirus epidemic, which seems to be focused on building up "herd immunity," rather than restraining the spread of the virus.
Comment: Spain imposed a
nationwide lockdown - people will only be able to leave their homes to buy food and medicine, and to go to work or emergencies. It will last for at least the next 15 days. All restaurants, bars, hotels, schools, and non-essential retail outlets will be closed, as will public transportation. Berlin
shut down its museums, bars, and brothels. France
closed its restaurants, clubs, and most shops. Lebanon declared a
state of emergency. Syria
postponed parliamentary elections for a month. Israel and Iran
closed pilgrimage sites (Iran continues to experience around
100 new deaths per day - yesterday saw 113).
New York's De Blasio
called it a "war-like scenario", calling to nationalize factories and industries. Doesn't get much more politicized than that!
Hezbollah's Nasrallah also made the
war comparison - a "world war", to boot - calling the Trump admin "the worst liars" for downplaying the threat and giving low numbers of those infected.
Travelers at US airports are having to
wait up to 10 hours to get through due to new screening protocols.
Illinois has
ordered restaurants to turn away all dine-in customers. Servers and bartenders sure are going to suffer in this climate! California governor Gavin Newsome has urged all bars, clubs, and wineries to close and asked all people over 65 to remain home.
Scandinavian Airlines has
halted most of its flights and will "temporarily" lay off 90% of its employees, up to 10,000 people.
See also:
Comment: With the taxpayer barely getting by these days and with many out in the streets protesting the deterioration of living standards, prior to the coronavirus hysteria, and now with companies going bust and massive layoffs, just who is going to pay for all these emergency bailouts?