Coronavirus news: UK death toll reaches 35 as Hancock warns 'every single person in this country will be affected' and Germany shuts borders

Coronavirus news: UK death toll reaches 35 as Hancock warns 'every single person in this country will be affected' and Germany shuts borders
NewsColony

Scotland not planning to isolate over-70s, country’s health secretary says

Scotland’s health secretary has said Scotland is not planning on isolating over-70s to protect them from coronavirus.

In contrast to potential measures revealed by UK health secretary Matt Hancock, Jeane Freeman said the Scottish government would ask the elderly to “reduce social contact” instead.

“The additional measures that we’ve always talked about are about reducing contact for those over 70 and in their eighties, asking them to reduce their social contact because they are one of the groups who are most at risk of this virus making them seriously ill,” Ms Freeman, the Scottish counterpart to Mr Hancock, said.

“The other group is people who have underlying health conditions whose immune system is suppressed.”

She added: “It’s not isolation, it’s asking them to reduce social contact.

“We don’t want people who are elderly to be stuck in their homes alone not contacting anyone, with their families not able to be in touch with them and to help them.”

Her comments came as the UK government received criticism for briefing the potential policy to journalists overnight before officially revealing it on Sunday morning.

“It’s not how we would do it. Governments should be coming and explaining these things really clearly,” Ms Freeman said.

Those comments were echoed by Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s former chief of staff, who said last night that the government needed to “stop anonymously briefing journalists and start speaking directly to the public”.

Source: The Independent UK | NewsColony

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