Coronavirus: Prepare to self-isolate if you have cold and flu symptoms

Anyone with cold or flu symptoms will be asked to isolate themselves at home for seven days as part of the next step in efforts to combat the outbreak of Covid-19, the UK’s top medical advisor has said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson gives a press conference alongside Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance

Professor Chris Whitty said the advice was likely to be issued in the next 10 to 14 days so that the intervention is rolled out as the virus outbreak accelerates.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Prof Whitty - the UK’s chief medical officer - said the coronavirus would begin to spread in the UK “really quite fast”.

Mr Johnson told reporters that efforts were still being made to contain the virus in the UK, but said that “containment is extremely unlikely to work on its own”, with new advice aimed at delaying the peak of the epidemic to ease pressure on the health service.

It came as a fourth death linked to the virus was confirmed, and the number of confirmed cases in the UK increased to 319, from 279 on Sunday.

Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said the aim of the measures that would be introduced was to "reduce the peak numbers up to 50%" and lower the mortality rate in the at-risk group by 20-30%.

But he said it would be wrong to try to "suppress" the disease completely because it could result in a winter outbreak at a time of maximum pressure for the NHS.

Asked why the UK had not yet taken some of the measures adopted in other European countries, Prof Whitty and Mr Vallance said testing of travellers arriving from coronavirus-affected areas was not effective, and that travel bans had not prevented the spread of the disease.

The Prime Minister insisted all measures remained under consideration but said that “the clear advice from our scientists... is that timing is crucial in tackling any kind of outbreak, any kind of epidemic, the timing of your measures is absolutely crucial.”

Mr Johnson added: "There's no question that this is going to become a significant, a much more significant outbreak than it currently is - that's obvious to everyone.”

The Prime Minister concluded by saying that the message to wash hands regularly “never can be repeated too often”, and revealed he had been advised not to shake hands at a gathering to mark Commonwealth Day.