Mayoral candidate Rory Stewart accused of ‘sensationalising’ coronavirus
Mayoral candidate Rory Stewart has been accused of sensationalising the UK’s coronavirus outbreak.
Conservative MP Steve Baker lashed out at Stewart, a former Tory cabinet secretary, on Twitter today for his calls to immediately shut all schools and limit public gatherings.
The UK’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty has said these measures are not necessary.
Taking to Twitter, Baker said: “I prefer to rely on professional scientific advice from [Public Health England] and I believe, as a responsible politician, [Stewart] should too.
“Sensationalism is not appropriate in this crisis.”
The government has said that it expects it will need to tell all people with flu-like symptoms to self-isolate within the next two weeks if the spread of coronavirus continues.
However, in the meantime there have been no extreme measures taken, such as those seen in China and Italy.
Italy moved to quarantine the entire country on Monday, while China quarantined zones the worst hit areas.
France, meanwhile, has banned gatherings over 5,000 people.
Stewart said on Monday that Boris Johnson needed to start to take drastic measures to combat Covid-19, which has now killed six Britons and infected 456.
He also cancelled his own campaign launch slated for next week to “set an example”.
He said: “There is no justification for half-hearted measures.
“The government and the mayor keep saying they are simply following ‘scientific advice’.
“But the scientists are clear that this is now a political decision – on whether the government are prepared to spend very serious sums of money, and take a large economic hit, to maximise protection of the population.”