London - Britain on Monday declared the
new coronavirus a serious and imminent threat to public health,
giving the government additional powers to isolate those
suspected of being infected.
Britain has recorded four cases of coronavirus so far while
British nationals who have been flown back from Wuhan, the
Chinese city where the epidemic broke out, are being quarantined
for 14 days.
The virus has killed more than 900 people, all but two in
mainland China, and has spread to at least 27 countries and
territories.
Britain's health ministry said new measures were aimed at
delaying or preventing further transmission of the coronavirus.
A man wears a mask as he takes a photograph in China Town in London. Picture: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP
"We are strengthening our regulations so we can keep
individuals in supported isolation for their own safety and if
public health professionals consider they may be at risk of
spreading the virus to other members of the public," a health
ministry spokesman said.
A woman wears a mask as she walks near China Town in London. Picture: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP
Arrowe Park Hospital, near Liverpool in northern England,
and Kents Hill Park, in Milton Keynes, have been designated as
isolation facilities.