Dödligt virus från Kina orsakar panik (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19)

Från Stockholm har det satts in extra avgångar till både Kanarieöarna och Cypern. Efterfrågan på att resa under höstlovet har varit större än man räknat med.

"During a pandemic, the Government will encourage those who are well to carry on with their normal daily lives for as long and as far as that is possible, whilst taking basic precautions to protect themselves from infection and lessen the risk of spreading influenza to others (see Chapter 4). The UK Government does not plan to close borders, stop mass gatherings or impose controls on public transport during any pandemic."

"Although there is a perception that the wearing of facemasks by the public in the community and household setting may be beneficial, there is in fact very little evidence of widespread benefit from their use in this setting. Facemasks must be worn correctly, changed frequently, removed properly, disposed of safely and used in combination with good respiratory, hand, and home hygiene behaviour in order for them to achieve the intended benefit. Research also shows that compliance with these recommended behaviours when wearing facemasks for prolonged periods reduces over time."

"The Government already has in place stockpiles of facemasks and respirators for health and social care workers. In line with the scientific evidence, the Government will not stockpile facemasks for general use in the community."

"There are no plans to attempt to close borders in the event of an influenza pandemic. Modelling suggests that imposing a 90% restriction on all air travel to the UK at the point a pandemic emerges would only delay the peak of a pandemic wave by one to two weeks."

"Given the expected two to three day incubation period for pandemic influenza, there is no evidence of any public health benefit to be gained from meeting planes from affected countries or similar pro-active measures such as thermal scanning or other screening methods. Such measures are largely ineffective, impractical to implement and highly resource intensive."

"There is very limited evidence that restrictions on mass gatherings will have any significant effect on influenza virus transmission. Large public gatherings or crowded events where people may be in close proximity are an important indicator of ‘normality’ and may help maintain public morale during a pandemic."

"If it is not possible to limit the spread by achieving herd immunity, where so many people are immune that the disease cannot continue to infect people to maintain itself in the population, it is important to reduce the impact of the pandemic."

"People are more likely to understand and accept the need for, and the consequences of, difficult decisions if these have been made in an open, transparent and inclusive way. National and local preparations for an influenza pandemic should therefore be based on widely held ethical values, and the choices that may become necessary should be discussed openly as plans are developed, so that they reflect what most people will accept as proportionate and fair."

"Proportionality: the response to a pandemic should be no more and no less than that necessary in relation to the known risks. Plans therefore need to be in place not only for high impact pandemics, but also for milder scenarios, with the ability to adapt them as new evidence emerges."

"However well plans for a new pandemic are prepared and implemented by health and other organisations, their overall effectiveness will ultimately depend on the cooperation of individuals and their willingness to follow advice, take personal responsibility for their health and accept responsibility for supporting each other."

Från Stockholm har det satts in extra avgångar till både Kanarieöarna och Cypern. Efterfrågan på att resa under höstlovet har varit större än man räknat med.