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TThe UK is on the “brink of losing control” of the virus and people who can work from home should continue to do so, according to Sage’s adviser and former chief scientific adviser to the government, Sir Mark Walport.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today show this morning, he said: “I think one would have to say that we are on the verge of losing control, and you just have to look across the Channel to see what is happening in France and what is happening in Spain.
“The French had 9,800 new infections on Thursday and you can see that their hospital admissions and indeed intensive care admissions are increasing.
“The figures in the UK on September 5, were around 1,800 people identified with the infection. On the 11th it was approximately 3,500, and the Imperial study suggested that the doubling time was approximately seven days. “
He added that “the only way to stop the spread of this infection is to reduce the number of people we all come in contact with.”
It is “very important” that children go back to school and people go back to university, but that means that “we are going to have to stop our contacts in other areas.”
“Where people can work from home, there is a very strong argument that they should,” he said.
Still, Downing Street has insisted that there was no change to the Prime Minister’s advice that people should return to their workplaces if they can do so safely.
However, unions have launched a new fight against return, claiming that less than half of workplaces have implemented adequate social distancing measures.
An information campaign was to be launched in local and national newspapers last Friday to encourage workers to return to the office, but it was delayed due to concerns about a second wave of coronavirus.
Follow the latest updates and reactions below.
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