A sixth patient has died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus, NHS England has confirmed.
A statement from West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Sadly, we can confirm that a man who was being cared for at Watford General Hospital, and had tested positive for Covid-19, has died.
“The patient, who died in the evening of Monday March 9, was in his early 80s and had underlying health conditions.
“His family has been informed and our thoughts and condolences are with them at this difficult and distressing time.”
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries told Sky News this morning that ‘we will see many thousands infected with coronavirus’ and ‘we will ask them to safely isolate themselves at home’. When asked if the UK could face similar measures to those imposed by the Italian government, she said it’s ‘possible’.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons that he is increasing the list of people allowed to provide medical services during the outbreak of the coronavirus
The government has extended delivery hours for supermarkets and other food retailers to support the industry response to the coronavirus
The new measures would mean food retailers can increase the frequency of deliveries to their stores and move stocks more quickly from warehouses across the country to replenish their shelves.
The announcement follows last week’s call between the Environment Secretary and leading supermarkets, during which the industry said a relaxation of curfews would help retailers respond to the increased consumer demand for some products, namely hygiene products and a limited number of long life items.
Current rules mean that deliveries are prohibited overnight so that vehicles do not disturb residents. The government will temporarily relax the enforcement of restrictions to give greater flexibility.
Meanwhile the Government has also announced that has launched a new taskforce to strengthen local plans to help tackle the outbreak of coronavirus.
The taskforce will bring together senior experts from across key sectors – including resilience, local government, public health and adult social care fields – who will assess Local Resilience Forum (LRF) plans and provide support and advice to ensure they are robust.
It will be led by Andy Battle, the recently retired Assistant Chief Constable for West Yorkshire and the LRF chair for that region, and Dr Ruth Hussey CB OBE, the former Chief Medical Officer for Wales.
The Foreign Office has told people not to travel to Italy and said anyone who has returned from there since yesterday should self-isolate for 14 days.
British Airways and Ryanair have cancelled all their flights to and from Italy. Other airlines are following suit and they are also being hit by a global drop-off in passengers.
