Coronavirus: The Queen wears gloves at investiture ceremony

The Queen wore gloves at an investiture at Buckingham Palace today, the first time she has done so since she began carrying out the ceremonies in 1952, amid warnings about the spread of coronavirus and the deadly danger it poses to the over-80s.

The 93-year-old’s decision to cover her hands to above the wrists came as the Government warned that the death rate for people infected is ‘significantly ramped up’ among the elderly. Britain was also warned that a major outbreak is ‘highly likely’.

Her Majesty wears gloves when she meets the public at events or garden parties – but not at investitures where she carries out the fiddly task of fastening the awards to a hook on the recipients’ lapels.

Today she wore them at Buckingham Palace for the first time in her reign as Boris Johnson unveiled the ‘battle plan’ to tackle a major outbreak on British soil, which could see troops deployed on streets and police told to ignore low-level crime.

The last time she wore gloves for an investiture at all was in 1954, when she recognised Air Marshal Claude Pelly with a knighthood in Yemen. 

Infected patients not suffering from complications could be sent home from hospital under the drastic measures, and non-urgent NHS operations could be cancelled to free up space in overwhelmed hospitals.

The Prime Minister’s plan was announced just moments before Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed twelve new coronavirus cases in the UK, with 51 patients now known to have caught the deadly infection in the UK.  

The new cases were scattered across London, Hampshire, Northamptonshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Humberside and Kent. Eight caught the virus in Italy – the others in Germany, Singapore, Japan and Iran.

In other developments, the US Federal Reserve cut interest rates in an emergency move designed to shield the world’s largest economy from the impact of the coronavirus as shares have plummeted over pandemic fears. 

Ukraine and Gibraltar have been the only two countries to declare their first cases today, after nine countries declared yesterday. The virus is now present in at least 77 countries and territories outside of China. 

The Queen’s oversized white gloves, which stretched past her wrist, appeared much longer than the ones she usually wears when out and about meeting the public on official engagements.

However, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge didn’t wear gloves as they started their three-day trip to Ireland this afternoon and Prince Charles was also gloveless at a Royal College of Music event.

Today the Queen smiled as she gave Butterflies star Wendy Craig, 85, her CBE in a ceremony where Norfolk novelist Rose Tremain was also made a dame for her services to writing.

D-Day veteran Horace ‘Harry’ Billinge was given an MBE, which he dedicated to his fallen comrades who ‘inspired’ him.

The former Royal Engineer, who was just 18 when he stormed the beaches in German-occupied Normandy on June 6 1944, said it was ‘wonderful’ to meet the Queen.

He revealed afterwards: ‘She [the Queen] said ‘I hear you was on D-Day’, and I said ‘I was’,’ he said’, ‘She was very, very kind. There are no words to describe it’.

A royal source said the Queen would be following any advice from the Government.  

The Queen is a fan of black or white gloves, but the end of the accessory is usually tucked into the sleeve of her coat or jacket.

Each investiture, held in the palace ballroom, is attended by more than 60 people, receiving a range of accolades, from MBEs to knighthoods and damehoods, plus their guests. The Queen greets each recipient in turn on the low red dais and shakes their hand. 

In other key developments today:

• A British woman staying at the crisis-hit Tenerife hotel, H10 Costa Adeje Palace, has been diagnosed with the coronavirus. She is the seventh person at the hotel to have caught the infection. Sky News reported she is in hospital but is not sick 
• The mother and father of a pupil at St Edmund’s School in Hindhead, Surrey, have been confirmed to have the illness. As a result, their child and several other parents have gone into self-isolation but the school remains open 
• The Treasury is preparing to find billions of pounds in next week’s budget to help firms cope with the financial fallout;
• Bank of England governor Mark Carney said the international economic response to coronavirus will be ‘powerful and timely’, and played down fears there will be a worse hit than the 2008 credit crunch;
• BA, easyJet and Ryanair cancelled hundreds of flights, ruining the plans of thousands of travellers;
• Disney has scrapped planned press events in London for the launch of its streaming service amid fears over the coronavirus outbreak;
• Social media has a ‘very important role’ in stopping the spread of misinformation about the coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said;
• Arsenal’s football stars have abandoned traditional pre-match handshakes in favour of fist-bumps – amid growing fears over the coronavirus;
• Global economic growth could be slashed in half, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development;
• The public were urged to clean their smartphone screens with alcohol wipes twice a day to help prevent the spread;
• At least 11 more schools closed after positive coronavirus tests or scares – despite Government advice to shut only on the orders of health officials;
• The NHS 111 helpline reported it was receiving a 70 per cent increase in calls compared with last year;
• Stores reported seeing a surge in panic buying and experts warned of food riots in a worst-case scenario;
• As many as five million workers could be left without sick pay if they are forced to stay home;
• The Health Secretary said the Government had powers to compel patients to self-isolate if they refused to;
• The World Health Organisation warned that the situation was now ‘uncharted territory’;
• Buckingham Place said an investiture today would go ahead and there were no plans to alter royal itineraries;
• City firms banned ‘hot desking’ and large meetings of more than 25 staff. 

England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said today that overall around one per cent of people who become infected ‘might end up dying’. But that rate increases markedly when a person is over the age of 80.

The government’s 28-page battle plan for tackling the virus, agreed at the first emergency Cobra meeting to be chaired by the PM yesterday, states the elderly and people with pre-existing illnesses would be at highest risk.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed the plans at a press conference, saying the government would take all ‘necessary and reasonable steps’ to contain the coronavirus.

He appealed for the public to keep ‘going about our business as usual’ and, when asked whether he thought the UK still had the ‘bulldog spirit’ to combat the virus, the premier said: ‘I do think that this is a national challenge. 

‘The potential is there for this to be something that our country has to get through. But I have absolutely no doubt that we have the resources, we have the health service to get through it.’

The report stresses the response is still in the ‘containment’ phase. But experts fear they will have to shift to ‘delay’ tactics – effectively damage limitation – within days or weeks amid growing outbreaks across Europe.   

The COVID-19 action plan states that among those who become infected, some will exhibit no symptoms and other will have a ‘mild-to-moderate self-limiting illness’. 

‘As it is a new virus, the lack of immunity in the population (and the absence as yet of an effective vaccine) means that Covid 19 has the potential to spread extensively,’ the document says.

‘The current data seems to show that we are all susceptible to catching this disease, and thus it seems more likely than not that the UK will be significantly affected.’  

The plan published today says in the event of mass infections Government ‘will aim to minimise the social and economic impact, subject to keeping people safe’.

There would be ‘population distancing strategies’ such as school closures, encouraging greater home working, and reducing the number of large scale gatherings to slow the spread of the disease.

Pensioners would be advised to stay away from events, such as VE Day commemorations, to avoid putting themselves at risk. 

However, experts say that an infected person is as likely to pass on the virus to 12 people in a pub as in a 70,000-seater stadium.

Police ‘would concentrate on responding to serious crimes and maintaining public order’ if forces suffer ‘a significant loss of officers and staff.’

Meanwhile, the armed forces could be called upon to ‘backfill’ gaps in emergency services and provide other assistance if required.

‘The Ministry of Defence has put in place plans to ensure the delivery of its operations in the UK and overseas. There are also well-practiced arrangements for Defence to support to civil authorities if requested.

The police could be asked to enforce road and building closures, and the Army could be drafted in to enforce lockdowns where necessary.

The report also highlights the threat to the NHS, which could come under extreme pressure from a wave of a cases.

Non-coronavirus patients could be discharged early from hospital to recuperate at home, and routine operations postponed. Recently retired doctors, nurses and other staff could be brought back to help increase capacity.

A reasonable ‘worst case scenario’ would see 80 per cent of the UK population contract the virus, with up to a fifth of employees unable to work in ‘peak weeks’ – predicted to be in three months’ time.  

A minority of people could develop complications – such as pneumonia – severe enough to require hospital care. ‘In a small proportion of these, the illness may be severe enough to lead to death,’ the plan states.

The document adds that ‘the risk of severe disease and death increases among elderly people and in people with underlying health risk conditions’.  

Following the launch of the action plan, Professor Whitty said: ‘Overall, probably around one per cent of people who get this virus might end up dying based on the Chinese experience.

‘To be clear that therefore means 99 per cent of people will not. If a higher proportion than we are currently aware of, get the infection without any symptoms that mortality rate will go down.

‘But let’s take one per cent overall as the current reasonable figure. It goes up a bit in people who are older and more vulnerable. It will be much lower than that in younger people who have no other health problems.

‘The bit of information we don’t know – the proportion of people who have no symptoms at all. And the second thing we cannot be sure of is what proportion of the population can get infected.

‘It will not go above 80 per cent – for planning purposes of course we go up to the highest rate that it reasonably could – but in my view the proportion of the population that get infected is likely to be… a lot lower.’

He added: ‘There is a significant ramp up in the risk of people dying with this infection once they get over 80. It begins to take off a bit earlier than that. 

‘Even for the highest risk group, the great majority of people will survive this If you look at the Chinese data, if you take the very oldest people, the great majority survive.’  

Scientists are still hoping that if rapid spread can be staved off until the summer warmer weather will help, but are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the prospects of avoiding a major outbreak in the UK.  

It comes as online travel agent Travel Republic today closed its office in London after one of its employees tested positive for coronavirus.

The company said its premises on London Road in Norbiton, south London, would be shut to staff while they undergo a deep clean.

It added that the patient was receiving medical attention and all staff have been told to ring NHS 111 if they are concerned or feel unwell.  

It comes as online travel agent Travel Republic today closed its office in London after one of its employees tested positive for coronavirus.

The company said its premises on London Road in Norbiton, south London, would be shut to staff while they undergo a deep clean.

It added that the patient was receiving medical attention and all staff have been told to ring NHS 111 if they are concerned or feel unwell.

A spokeswoman for the company said: ‘We can confirm that a member of staff based at our London Road offices in Norbiton received a positive test for the Covid-19 virus yesterday.

‘They are now receiving medical attention. As a precaution, we have closed our offices today while a deep clean is undertaken and we receive further advice from the relevant authorities.

‘All staff have been notified and encouraged to contact the NHS 111 if they are concerned or feel unwell.

‘Our primary concern at this time is the health of our staff, and we’re working with the authorities to ensure best practice guidelines are being followed.’

A Department of Health spokesperson refused to confirm whether the patient was among the new cases announced in the Commons.

Meanwhile, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama cancelled all of its scheduled events until 11 March due to a teacher having the virus.

The unidentified man had come into contact with a ‘limited number’ of students last week, the school admitted in an email to staff and students.

Guildhall School of Music and Drama didn’t release any more information about the male teacher – but he is thought to teach music.

He was whisked off for treatment at London’s Royal Free Hospital, a specialist NHS centre for infectious diseases.

In an email sent to staff and students, the school – ranked as one of the world’s best performing arts institutes – said he is ‘recovering well’.

According to The Guardian, the note added: ‘He was present and teaching in one of the ancillary school buildings on one day last week.

‘He came into contact with a limited number of students and we are working closely with those students to ensure that they receive urgent appropriate advice.’

The school urged any staff and students who show any coronavirus symptoms, such as a fever or cough, to ring NHS111 and seek medical advice.

It added: ‘All meetings, performances, workshops, masterclasses and any other on-site school engagements in the next 14 days should be cancelled.

‘Staff are encouraged to work remotely during this period and if they are in any doubt of how to do so should contact their line manager.’

Another UK school closed today after a parent of a pupil tested positive for coronavirus. Hilbre High in West Kirby, Wirral, shut at lunchtime after an infected step-parent attended the school yesterday before later testing positive for the illness.

Their child, a boy, does not currently have symptoms but will now self-isolate and not return to school for 14 days.

Headteacher Mark Bellamy said the school will undertake two days of deep cleaning before reopening on Friday and confirmed the school had not been asked to close by Wirral Council or Public Health England.

National advice says schools should not close in response to suspected or confirmed cases of the virus unless directed to do so by Public Health England.

Mr Bellamy also said the confirmed case was not connected to a February half term ski trip to Northern Italy taken by a group of Hillbre High students.

It comes after Willow Bank Junior School and Willow Bank Infant School in Woodley, Berkshire, both closed yesterday because of coronavirus.

A female staff member at the infant school tested positive after catching the illness while on holiday in northern Italy.

In an email, the schools told parents they would be shut for ‘some days’ to allow for a deep clean to be carried out on the premises.

St Mary’s Primary School in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, also closed after a member of staff there was confirmed to have the virus after a trip to Italy.

Wimbledon College, in south-west London, shut its doors yesterday because of the coronavirus.

In a letter to parents the headmaster wrote that a member of staff caught the virus while on a trip to northern Italy.

Several staff members were asked to self-isolate after coming into contact with the teacher, forcing the school to shut because of ‘low staffing numbers’.

The Ridgeway School in Farnham, Surrey, which teaches children with severe learning difficulties, has closed for deep cleaning.

Three cases have been diagnosed in Surrey already and a Ridgeway member of staff had been in contact with a confirmed patient.

In a letter to parents the headteacher said it was shut because of the compromised immune system ‘many of’ the school’s children have.

Churston Ferrers Grammar School in Torbay yesterday confirmed a student tested positive for COVID-19. No other details are known.

Hundreds of teachers across the country were sent on ski trips to northern Italy, the centre of Europe’s coronavirus crisis, over half-term.

But thousands of travellers came home from northern Italy before the Government introduced updated guidance, raising fears it would spread to the UK.

The Government told holidaymakers and business travellers returning from Italy to self-isolate if they have tell-tale symptoms.

And anyone who went to 11 towns locked down to contain the outbreak were told to quarantine themselves, even if they had no symptoms.

But hundreds of teachers who went to affected regions went into school before the guidance was updated, raising fears for thousands of pupils and staff.

Teachers are also known to be at risk because they come into contact with children, who are known to be more susceptible to getting sick.

Scientists say because youngsters mingle with lots of strangers they are exposed to bacteria and viruses they’ve never seen before.

Education sources warned last night that students could be forced to sit their exams in the summer holidays, if the crisis in the UK worsens.

But their grades could be inflated to compensate for missed lesson time, according to one teacher trying to answer parents’ creeping concerns.

Professor Whitty forecast a worst-case scenario in which schools would be closed for ‘probably more than two months’.

As the summer exam season looms, parents are worried about the knock-on effect of future closures.

Exam regulator Ofqual has told institutions to draw up contingency plans to prepare for such closures, but have not yet advised on specific measures.

Calvin Robinson, who teaches at Watford Grammar, believes exams could be pushed back to cope with school closures.

And he added teachers and pupils would likely have to come in during the summer holidays to sit papers and invigilate.

In the event of schools shutting, he told MailOnline: ‘I think we will have to postpone exams. We can’t purely base it on previous coursework, because students weren’t warned in advance.

Many parents fear closures would jeopardise their child’s grades in comparison to institutions which remained open.

How the coronavirus outbreak will affect your life: Your ‘battle plan’ questions answered, including how deadly is it, how can I prevent it spreading, will schools shut and should I staycation this summer?

Boris Johnson warned that the UK was facing a ‘national challenge’ as coronavirus sweeps the globe today as he set out how the UK plans to tackle a potential mass outbreak affecting millions of people.

He and the Government’s two chief scientific and medical advisers faced the cameras today as Covid-19 continues to sweep the world.

While keen to stress that most people will experience only mild symptoms the Government today set out its battle plan to cope with a growing pandemic that is already in Britain.

Asked whether the UK still had the ‘bulldog spirit’ to tackle the virus and accept the emergency measures that could be required, Mr Johnson said: ‘I do think that this is a national challenge and I do think that we are faced with something that could be – the potential is there for this to be – something that our country has to get through.

‘I have got absolutely no doubt that we have the resources, we have got the health service, we have got the expertise to do it.

‘I am very confident the British public understand that. I think the British public can see exactly what the balance of risk is.’

He was flanked by England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser to the Government Sir Patrick Vallance today in Downing Street as they set out how they see the situation developing.

What’s the main message?

The main message was for the public to keep calm and carry on – but make sure they wash their hands thoroughly.

The Government has a four step plan:

• Contain – detect early cases and work to prevent it ‘taking hold’ for as long as possible.
• Delay – Once the disease is well established, switch to working to slow its spread, minimise cases and contain it before the winter season comes around again.
• Research – Work to improve diagnosis and treatment including drugs and vaccines.
• Mitigate – provide the best care for sufferers and support services to minimise the overall impact on the nation.

The UK is currently at the Contain stage of this plan, with most of the more intrusive steps that could be taken coming at the Delay and Mitigate stages.

When will the plans be implemented?

Measures outlined by the Prime Minister and medical and scientific experts today will only be introduced when it is judged they will be most effective.

They are concerned that introducing disruptive measures too early would be counterproductive, which is why the main advice at the moment is simply to thoroughly wash your hands.

Authorities have made it clear they do not want to disrupt people’s lives if it will make little or no difference to the spread of the disease or the NHS’s ability to treat people effectively.

How long will it last?

The current plan is for a 12-week cycle of action to tackle the outbreak. This is the time taken for it to reach a peak of cases before it starts to decline over another 12 weeks.

Scientists believe it is unlikely but not impossible that it will be contained before the summer months, when infectious diseases cases usually decline in number.

They are trying to slow its advance until then, to allow nature to help fight the battle for them.

But as yet they do not know whether this will be the only outbreak or whether it could become endemic – regularly appearing.

It sounds alarming that 80 per cent of the population could be infected and one per cent. How likely is it?

At the moment scientists are being very cautious with their projections seek more information about the global outbreak.

They were at pains today to stress that this is very much a worst-case scenario.

Evidence from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak began, suggests Coronavirus is nowhere near that deadly or contagious at the moment.

England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty stressed: ‘Even for the highest risk group, the great majority of people will survive this.

‘If you look at the Chinese data, if you take the very oldest people, the great majority survive.’

He added: ‘If you’re talking about the low-risk groups, the rate of mortality is well below 1 per cent.’

Who is most at risk of the virus and why?

As mentioned above, the elderly are one of the key groups.

Prof Whitty said there is a ‘significant ramp up’ in the death rate of those infected with coronavirus who are over 80 years old.

Depending on the advance of the virus, there are plans for specific measures to be taken around care homes to minimise infection risk.

Also at high risk are other ‘vulnerable’ people, those with pre-existing medical conditions that may leave them with a weakened immune system like cancer.

He said: ‘The exact percentages will depend on a lot of factors – including the health care system you have in place, so I would not expect… the numbers we are seeing in China automatically to read over to the UK.’

Can the NHS cope with an outbreak of this size?

Prof Whitty said the health services was used to ‘flexing’ to deal with large-scale outbreaks, and regularly did so for things like the winter flu.

Contingency plans are being prepared that would allow retired medics to volunteer to help. Non-essential surgery and other care would also be postponed to allow resources to be used for critical patients. And patients recuperating in hospital face being sent home to convalesce to free up beds.

Will towns be put into lockdown?

It is looking less and less likely that the UK will replicate the isolation that has been seen in Wuhan.

Because the disease is already in the country and would be hard to contain in one place at this stage, medics believe that the social and economic cost of quarantining thousands of people would far outstrip any benefit.

Will I get paid if I’m off sick?

The Prime Minister said ‘all options’ would remain under review when asked what he would do to ensure those who are ill do not also suffer hardship.

Mr Johnson said: ‘On the issue of statutory sick pay and the risks that the workforce could conceivably run in that reasonable worst case scenario, we’re going to keep all options under review but we are well aware of the issue.’

Should I go on holiday?

The vast majority of the public should not alter their travel plans said the chief scientific adviser to the Government Sir Patrick Vallance.

‘Once the epidemic is everywhere, then actually restricting travel makes no difference at all,’ he said.

‘At the moment we are certainly not recommending any change to behaviours in relation to that.

‘And if it grows in the UK, then of course it doesn’t really make more sense to say that you’re at more risk somewhere else than you are here.’

But people who are in an at-risk group might want to look at where they are going – how prevalent the disease is and the standard of local medical care, in case you become ill.

Professor Whitty added: ‘If you happen to be in a place with a very weak health service at the peak of their epidemic, weaker than the NHS, that obviously might be more problematic – and this is particularly an issue for people who are older or have pre-existing health conditions.’

Are schools going to close down and will I have to take time off work to look after my children?

As with the idea of quarantining entire towns and cities, this is not being ruled out but is not a priority.

Evidence from China suggests that children are less susceptible to catching the virus and suffer a milder illness if they do contract it, the scientists said.

In addition, having thousands of children off school would place additional strain on the NHS as vital staff took time off for childcare.

Should I be panic buying in case of being forced to stay at home in quarantine?

No., there is no need to do that. Prof Whitty said that there was no evidence that people did panic buy but took ‘logical decisions’.

‘There is no reason to be doing any panic buying or any sort of keeping large supplies of anything,’ he said.

‘This is a scientific point… the response of the British public to disasters and emergencies is extraordinary outbreaks of altruism.’

Sir Patrick said measures would be taken if homes were put under quarantine and appropriate steps taken for places such as care homes.

His comments came after Ocado warned that people are placing larger orders than usual and other supermarkets worked up contingency plans.

In some places, supermarket and pharmacy shelves have been cleared out of antibacterial gel and other supplies.

What about information I see on social media about keeping safe?

Matt Hancock the health Secretary, met with social media firms yesterday to discuss ways of combating disinformation and helping share information that could battle it.

Why is hand washing the key message?

Because it is the easiest way to stop the spread of the virus. Your hands are the part of the body that come into most contact with other people and objects.

The disease is spread like the flu and other infections via droplets released in coughs and sneezes, so using a clean tissue or handkerchief and washing your hands thoroughly and regularly helps prevent them being spread around.

Taking this simple step also means you are less likely to have to take more drastic action, like avoiding personal contact.

The advise is to wash your hands for 20 seconds or more using soap.

Mr Johnson told reporters he continues to shake hands with people.

He said: ‘I am shaking hands, I was at a hospital the other night where I think there were coronavirus patients and I was shaking hands with everybody, you will be pleased to know, and I continue to shake hands.

‘People must make up their own minds but I think the scientific evidence is… our judgment is that washing your hands is the crucial thing.’ 

Arsenal stars scrap traditional pre-match handshakes in favour of fist-bumps before FA Cup victory over Portsmouth as football clubs bid to avoid the coronavirus outbreak 

Arsenal’s stars have abandoned traditional pre-match handshakes in favour of fist-bumps – amid growing fears over the coronavirus.

Several Gunners’ stars were reluctant to make too much contact with players from opponents Portsmouth as they lined up at the start of Monday night’s FA Cup match.

Instead of a traditional respect handshake, players offered their fists to the League One side.

While Arsenal captain David Luiz did elect for a handshake, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez instead closed his fist and bumped it with the Pompey players.

Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos also offered the same gesture and even did the same with the young Pompey mascots.

Arsenal starlet Joe Willock began shaking hands with the Pompey players but soon switched to fist bumps.

The FA said they are not giving any directives in relation to COVID-19 and are following wider government advice.

It is currently down to individual clubs’s medical departments to suggest any special measures such as fist bumps over handshakes.

Further along the south coast, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has banned his players from having selfies and signing autographs with fans over coronavirus fears.

Saints’ players have also stopped shaking hands with one another at the training ground.

A spokesman for the FA said: ‘At present we have no special measures in place in relation to the outbreak of coronavirus.

‘We are currently following wider government advice and this is not a directive that has come from us.’

On Tuesday, England cricket captain Joe Root confirmed his side would adopt a fist-bump policy during their upcoming tour to Sri Lanka.

The England XI missed several players through illness during their recent series against South Africa and will be taking no chances on the sub-continent.

Root, 29, said: ‘After the illnesses that swept through the squad in South Africa, we are well aware of the importance of keeping contact to a minimum.

‘We are not shaking hands with each other, using instead the well-established fist bump, and we are washing hands regularly and wiping down surfaces using the anti-bacterial wipes and gels we’ve been given in our immunity packs.’