UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Monday announced the establishment of new measures to control the spread of a novel strain of coronavirus, saying it constituted a significant threat to public health in the United Kingdom, a government statement read
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th February, 2020) UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Monday announced the establishment of new measures to control the spread of a novel strain of coronavirus, saying it constituted a significant threat to public health in the United Kingdom, a government statement read.
"In accordance with Regulation 3, the Secretary of State declares that the incidence or transmission of novel Coronavirus constitutes a serious and imminent threat to public health, and the measures outlined in these regulations are considered as an effective means of delaying or preventing further transmission of the virus," the statement read.
As part of the new measures to combat the deadly new virus, the health secretary announced that Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside and Kents Hill Park conference center in the city of Milton Keynes will act as "isolated" treatment and quarantine facilities. Hancock also declared that China's city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic, and the Hubei province where it is located are "infected areas."
The new measures will allow health officials to enforce mandatory quarantine for any person suspected of carrying the virus, The Guardian newspaper reported on Monday, citing a health department spokesman.
On Sunday, Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty confirmed that a fourth person in the country has been infected with the novel strain of coronavirus. According to health officials, the individual contracted the virus in France.
The new strain of coronavirus - 2019-nCoV - was first detected in the city of Wuhan in late December. So far, the virus has infected over 40,600 people worldwide, killing 910 people. There are 38 confirmed cases of the virus in Europe.
