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Britons advised to avoid any non-essential travel abroad for next 30 days – politics live UK may have up to 55,000 cases of coronavirus already, says chief scientific adviser – politics live
(32 minutes later)
The day’s politics as they happen, including Rishi Sunak at the daily coronavirus press conference and MPs questioning the chief scientific adviserThe day’s politics as they happen, including Rishi Sunak at the daily coronavirus press conference and MPs questioning the chief scientific adviser
Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary who chairs the committee, reads out a letter from an A&E doctor. He says it is “absolute carnage”. Doctors do not have the protective equipment, the doctors says. The doctor says the only protection he has had has been a piece of paper (ie, a mask) over his face. The doctor says he thinks medical staff will die as a result.
Hunt says he would like a date for when these localised distribution problems will be sorted out.
Pritchard says these problems are being sorted out right now.
Q: Do we have enough protective equipment?
Amanda Pritchard, NHS England’s chief operating officer, says nationally the NHS has the supply it needs. But there are some distributional problems. It is not all in the right place, she says.
Stevens says the NHS will need more equipment. This problem will not be resolved quickly, so there will be a need to “ramp up domestic production” of this equipment, he says. More stock will be needed in the coming months.
Q: Does the modelling show that, if all goes according to plan, we will have enough ventilators?
Stevens says it will be easier to say once we have seen what impact the changes announced yesterday will have.
He says, less than 24 hours after those measures was announced, there is still a degree of uncertainty.
Q: How many ventilators do you have?
Stevens says there are 6,699 adult mechanical ventilators, 750 paediatric ones, 691 in private hospitals and 35 in the Ministry of Defence. That makes 8,175, he says.
But he says another 3,799 are due soon, and that will take the total to around 12,000.
He says the PM has also launched an initiative to get manufacturers to make more.
The NHS England session is now starting.
The four witnesses are: Sir Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive; Prof Keith Willett, its director of acute care; Amanda Pritchard, its chief operating officer; and Prof Steve Powis, its national medical director.
Q: How many acute beds to you have?
Stevens says there are 98,000 beds. The occupancy rate is below 90%
He says there are 3,700 critical care beds for adults.
But he says he wants to free up another 30,000 beds.
He says elective surgery will be suspended from 15 April for three months. And he says he is working with health authorities to unblock the discharge process.
Q: Will you have enough intensive care beds?
Stevens says this will be kept under review. If necessary, more measures will be introduced.
The hearing with Sir Patrick Vallance has now finished.
The health committee is now going to take evidence from NHS England.
Q: Does the concept of herd immunity play any role in the advice for the over-70s?
Vallance says the advice for the over-70s and the under-70s is the same. But the point is that the over-70s should follow it more stringently, he says.
He also says that, for the over-70s, the advice is primarily about what they need to do to protect themselves. For others, it is as much about protecting others from infection, he says.
Jeremy Hunt asks Vallance if the social distancing advice for over-70s announced yesterday means that people that age should avoid Sunday lunch with their children or grandchildren.
Yes, says Vallance.
Here are the latest coronavirus figures for the UK from the government.Here are the latest coronavirus figures for the UK from the government.
Asked if the measures announced yesterday would have to be in place for 18 months, Vallance said he did not know how long they would have to last. But he said it would certainly not be just a couple of weeks, he said. He went on:Asked if the measures announced yesterday would have to be in place for 18 months, Vallance said he did not know how long they would have to last. But he said it would certainly not be just a couple of weeks, he said. He went on:
Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, is being questioned by the Commons health committee. The hearing started earlier than planned, and here are some of the key points so far.Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, is being questioned by the Commons health committee. The hearing started earlier than planned, and here are some of the key points so far.
Vallance sidestepped a question about whether the government had changed its strategy from mitigation to suppression.Vallance sidestepped a question about whether the government had changed its strategy from mitigation to suppression.
He said 55,000 people having coronavirus in the UK was a reasonable estimate.He said 55,000 people having coronavirus in the UK was a reasonable estimate.
He said keeping the number of deaths from coronavirus below 20,000 would be a good outcome.He said keeping the number of deaths from coronavirus below 20,000 would be a good outcome.
He said the measures announced yesterday should reduce the spread of coronavirus by about 50%.He said the measures announced yesterday should reduce the spread of coronavirus by about 50%.
He said there was a need for a big increase in coronavirus testing. And he said NHS staff would be the next group to be prioritised.He said there was a need for a big increase in coronavirus testing. And he said NHS staff would be the next group to be prioritised.
Back in the Commons Labour’s Stephen Kinnock also asked Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, if the government would extend the Brexit transition in the light of the coronavirus crisis.Back in the Commons Labour’s Stephen Kinnock also asked Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, if the government would extend the Brexit transition in the light of the coronavirus crisis.
In response, Raab went further than he did when Ben Bradshaw asked this. (See 1.19pm.) He replied:In response, Raab went further than he did when Ben Bradshaw asked this. (See 1.19pm.) He replied:
Back to schools for a moment, and Gavin Williamson, the education secretary for England, says he does not want to close schools, despite the National Education Union call for schools to be shut. (See 11.50am). But he says he is suspending routine Ofsted inspections.Back to schools for a moment, and Gavin Williamson, the education secretary for England, says he does not want to close schools, despite the National Education Union call for schools to be shut. (See 11.50am). But he says he is suspending routine Ofsted inspections.
From my colleague Jennifer Rankin
Layla Moran, the Lib Dem MP, asks if the government will subsidise airline companies.
Raab says the government will work with the industry to see what support it can provide.
Mark Pritchard, a Conservative, asks if the Royal Navy or the Royal Air Force could be used to repatriate the most vulnerable.
Raab says that would be a last resort, but he says he is not ruling anything out.
Airlines UK, an industry body, has said that the Foreign Office’s decision to advise against all non-essential travel abroad will bring “more devastation” to airline companies. Commenting on the announcement, Tim Alderslade, its chief executive, said:
Labour’s Ben Bradshaw asks if the government will now agree to extend the Brexit transition in the light of the coronavirus crisis. Raab avoids the question, but he says the engagement that the Foreign Office has had with Cuba, over the Braemar cruise ship, shows that the government is working with other countries post-Brexit.
Raab says freight lorry drivers who are involved in supplying shops count as people engaged in essential travel.
Back in the Commons Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, says there are not just tens of thousands of Britons abroad, but hundreds of thousands. That is why people must be “realistic” about what the government can do to help them all, he says.
There have been 12 new coronavirus cases in Wales, according to Public Health Wales.
Richard Drax, a Conservative, says schools that have have to cancel trips will not get their money back unless the Foreign Office specifically advises against travel to a particular country.
Raab says the Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel globally. He suggests that should be clear enough for the insurance companies.
In her response to Dominic Raab a few minutes ago Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, cited the experience of a constituent called Tom, one of 65 Britons stuck in Peru, as evidence that consular staff were not doing enough to help people. She said:
She also said the government could not “pass the buck” on repatriation.