The Imperial College Covid-19 response team - which has been advising ministers - said that even with the 'social distancing' plans set out by the Government, the health system will be 'overwhelmed many times over'. In its latest report, it said the only 'viable strategy' was a Chinese-style policy of 'suppression' involving the social distancing of the entire population. Chief medical officer for England Chris Witty says the race to beating to coronavirus pandem is a 'marathon not a sprint'. Initially, Mr Johnson resisted pressure to bring in ‘social distancing’ for fear that people would grow fatigued and abandon the practice just as the virus began to peak. ‘A minimum policy for effective suppression is therefore population-wide social distancing, combined with home isolation of cases and school and university closure,’ it says.

Source: Daily Mail March 17, 2020 00:39 UTC