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WORLD NEWS Saturday 14 March 2020

UK departs from Europe in virus response, draws criticism

By JILL LAWLESS completely," Vallance said
Associated Press Friday. "Also, because the
LONDON (AP) — The United vast majority of people
Kingdom stood increasing- get a mild illness, to build
ly apart Friday as countries up some kind of herd im-
across Europe and around munity so more people are
the world shut schools and immune to this disease and
universities, scrapped sports we reduce the transmis-
tournaments and shuttered sion, at the same time we
bars and restaurants in re- protect those who are most
sponse to the new corona- vulnerable to it."
virus. To some anxious Britons
The British government has that sounds callous, as if
not restricted the everyday the government intends to
activities of U.K. residents by let some individuals get sick
banning large public gath- and die in order to strength-
erings or suspending transit en society. The front pages
networks. More than 60,000 of most British newspapers
horse-racing fans packed carried stark summaries
a course in England on Fri- Friday of Johnson's warn-
day for the final day of the ing the day before: "Many
Cheltenham Festival, one A man covers his face with a football scarf as he waits at a tube station in London, Friday, March loved ones will die," was the
of the few sporting events 13, 2020. Daily Mail's headline.
in Europe still taking place. Associated Press Scientists say a pandemic
Pupils in Northern Ireland or a fever. As of Friday, the worried population. would be counterproduc- like the current one brings
attended classes as usual U.K. had 798 confirmed "I think we are in a national tive because people will with it difficult choices and
at St. Columban's primary cases of the new virus, an emergency," said former tire of the restrictions and tough judgment calls.
school in the village of Bel- increase of more than 200 Health Secretary Jeremy start to lapse just when Thomas House, a reader in
coo. Yet a little more than 2 from a day earlier. Ten peo- Hunt, who like Johnson is a the measures are needed mathematical statistics at
miles (3.2 km) away, across ple have died. Conservative politician. most. the University of Manches-
the border in the Irish Re- Britain's strategy is based "I think it is surprising and In most people, the virus ter, said that "whether we
public, the local St. Patrick's on the presumption that concerning that we're not causes mild or moderate aim for it or not, herd im-
school was closed. So was most people in the coun- doing any (social distanc- symptoms such as a fever munity will happen at some
every other school and all try will eventually get the ing) at all when we have or cough. But for some, es- point in the future" once the
the colleges, daycare cen- virus, and severe measures just four weeks before we pecially older adults and new virus has run its course.
ters and cultural institutions to contain it are unlikely to get to the stage that Italy people with existing health "The aim of policy should
in Ireland. British Prime Min- work. is at," Hunt told the BBC. problems, it can cause be for this to happen with
ister Boris Johnson has de- Patrick Vallance, the British "You would have thought more severe illness, includ- the minimum human cost
scribed the worldwide pan- government's chief scientif- that every single thing we ing pneumonia. possible," he said.
demic as "the worst public ic adviser, said the U.K. was do in that four weeks would If most people become in- Whatever the government
health crisis for a genera- "about four weeks or so be- be designed to slow the fected and then recover, advises, the virus has al-
tion." He warned Thursday hind Italy," where more than spread of people catching it builds up "herd immunity" ready had a major impact
that "many more families 15,000 infections and more the virus." in the population, lessening in Britain. Soccer's Premier
are going to lose loved than 1,000 deaths were re- British officials insist they are the impact of future out- League canceled matches
ones before their time." corded in only three weeks. trying to slow the spread breaks. until April 3. Some universi-
Yet U.K. authorities have not As more people become of COVID-19 disease, thus Worldwide, 135,000 people ties are moving classes on-
introduced the strict "so- infected in England, Scot- lessening chances the have been infected and line. Commuters can get
cial distancing" measures land, Wales and Northern health system will be over- nearly 5,000 have died, but rush-hour seats on the Lon-
adopted by neighboring Ireland, growing criticism whelmed by a sudden half of those who had the don Underground as more
nations. Britons are being of the government's ap- spike. virus have already recov- people work from home.
urged to wash hands fre- proach is coming from But in contrast to many ered. Hotels, shops and restau-
quently and asked to stay Johnson's political oppo- other countries, Britain has "Our aim is to try and re- rants report business drop-
home for a week if they nents, from some scientists, calculated that enforcing duce the peak, broaden ping off as tourists cancel
have a persistent cough and from an increasingly social distancing too soon the peak, not suppress it their trips.q