London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Coronavirus: Boris Johnson to hold Cobra meeting as UK death toll hits three

Prime minister to consider bringing in tougher measures to delay spread of outbreak
Boris Johnson will decide whether to bring in tougher measures to delay the spread of coronavirus on Monday, after the number of British cases increased by a third to 278 and the number of deaths in the UK rose to three.

The prime minister is to chair his first emergency Cobra meeting on the virus since last Monday, which will look at possible measures if the UK formally moves from trying to contain the outbreak to delaying its impact.

The government’s coronavirus plan, published last week, included suggestions such as social distancing and increased home working at the milder end of the spectrum, to cancelling mass-attendance events and cutting back on essential police and fire services at the more extreme end.

The UK saw its biggest one-day increase in coronavirus cases on Sunday, with 69 new cases confirmed. A man in his 60s, who had underlying health problems, became the third patient to die after testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK. The man, who died at North Manchester general hospital, had recently returned from Italy, NHS England said.

As the government prepared emergency legislation to allow some court proceedings to be heard by phone or video, GPs warned that hospitals would have to cut back on work not related to coronavirus in order to tackle the outbreak.

Ahead of the Cobra meeting, Johnson insisted the UK was “well-prepared and will continue to make decisions to protect the public based on the latest scientific advice”. “Tackling coronavirus will require a national and international effort. I am confident the British people are ready to play their part in that,” he said. “The most valuable thing people can do is wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.”

The government is considering plans to let more people volunteer in the NHS, and the health service said it had already trained about 500 additional initial call responders to help deal with increased demand for the 111 service.

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said the government would do “everything in its power” to delay and mitigate the coronavirus threat as he set out plans contained in emergency legislation to deal with the impact of the virus.

The bill, which is likely to go through parliament by the end of the month, is expected to include measures to allow some court proceedings to be conducted via telephone or video.

The news came as 32 people who had been aboard a cruise ship in Japan were released from quarantine in Wirral, and two people who had recently returned to Wales from Italy tested positive for the illness.

The Foreign Office said it was “working intensively” with US authorities to arrange a flight for British nationals on the coronavirus-hit Grand Princess cruise ship, which is due to arrive in Oakland, California, on Monday.

A healthcare worker at University Hospital Southampton NHS foundation trust has tested positive for coronavirus. The surgical high-dependency unit, where the person worked a single nightshift on Friday, has been temporarily closed to new admissions as a result.

Prof Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs, warned that the Covid-19 outbreak was a “significant crisis” for the health service but said that estimates that 100,000 could die were a “worst-case scenario”.

“If we are going to try to continue doing what we are doing at the health service and tackle coronavirus, it will require a significant amount of resources,” he told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday. “I expect we will cut down in terms of the other work we do.”

Marshall welcomed plans to call upon recently retired doctors to expand the workforce. He said: “I think it is a good idea as long as we do it carefully … and people are estimating that 20% of the workforce might be out of action at any one time when the crisis reaches its peak – people are talking about some time in late April for that. If that happens, then we do need to expand the workforce in whatever way we can.”

World Health Organization representative Dr Margaret Harris warned that government must ensure that supporting health workers is their “number one priority”. She said: “They need backup, they need other people to come and do the shifts. If they’re working massively, they are tremendously at risk.”

Asked if army field hospitals could play a role in the response to the coronavirus outbreak, Harris said: “Certainly the army has great experience of putting up field hospitals. I’ve worked on Ebola and I’ve seen what the British army can do. It’s quite incredible.

“So this is the sort of planning you should be thinking about. Can you set up a field hospital? Where do you set it up? What equipment have you got and what staff have you got and how can you protect everybody working in those conditions?”

Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has promised to give the NHS “whatever it needs” to tackle the coronavirus crisis, as he looks at loosening the fiscal rules to allow for more borrowing and spending ahead of this week’s budget.

The Scottish first minister and SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, told Ridge it was “pretty much inevitable that we will need additional resources” in the NHS to cope with coronavirus. A total of 18 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland.

Government figures released on Sunday morning revealed 64 new coronavirus cases in the UK, with more than 23,513 people tested as of 9am. A further five cases were reported as Sunday wore on. Three people had died as of Sunday night.

Prof Tom Solomon at the Walton Centre NHS foundation trust said that this increase was “not really unexpected” because “it is likely that the number of cases in this country is going to double every few days”.

On Sunday, NHS England announced that 32 people have been given an all-clear for coronavirus after being held in isolation in Wirral after returning from the Diamond Princess cruise liner in Japan. The group – made up of 30 Britons and two Irish people – had been held in quarantine since last month after the ship became a breeding ground for the virus.

Seven people, including one UK citizen, who had been aboard the ship have died so far. Two further patients in Wales also tested positive for coronavirus after returning from northern Italy.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×