UK govt urges Britons to stay home over weekend to curb COVID-19 spread

The United Kingdom government has urged citizens to stay home this weekend in a bid to protect the National Health Service (NHS). While speaking at a daily news briefing, Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said that it was vital that people played their part to help contain the spread of deadly coronavirus. Gove informed that almost seven healthcare workers have already lost their lives due to COVID-19. 

Gove said, “We offer our heartfelt condolences. You must stay at home. Take pride in keeping your own families safe. I know life under lockdown can be challenging and some will be tempted on a sunny weekend to venture out. But if we relax our adherence to the rules we increase the risk for others - that's why it is so important to stay at home.”

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He further said, "We need to reduce social contact, stop transmission and reduce the spread. Please don't go outside to visit the lakes, the beaches, the countryside. The more we restrict contact, the more we slow the spread of the infection, the more time we have to build capacity in the NHS to treat those in need.”

Gove also assured that the authorities were doing every bit to improve its response and to make sure that the hospitals had the equipment hey needed to deal with the pandemic. He revealed that hundreds of ventilators were also being brought in from countries like Germany and Switzerland. Furthermore, he said that the first batch of British-made ventilators would be ready in the coming days. 

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4,000-bed temporary hospital

Currently, UK has more than 41,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and the deal virus has claimed more than 4,300 lives in the country. Meanwhile, Prince Charles opened a new 4,000-bed temporary hospital in a conference centre in east London. The temporary hospital marks the first of several being built in Britain to deal with the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

The new hospital is named after that trailblazing 19th-century nurse Florence Nightingale and has been built in just nine days. According to the official NHS website, the hospital is built in Bristol and Harrogate to provide beds if local services need them during the peak of coronavirus. While paying tribute to everyone involved in the project, Prince Charles said that it is ‘incredible’ to have transformed the giant ExCeL centre into a critical care facility in such a short space of time. 

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