BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The British Government is planning to ask anyone over the age of 70 in the UK to self-isolate for up to four months as the coronavirus continues to spread across the island.
On Sunday, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock appeared on the BBC Andrew Marr show and said the British elderly population would be told "in the coming weeks" to plan for long-term self-isolation. He also warned that coronavirus would "disrupt the lives of almost everybody."
Hancock said there will be a formal measure laid out on Tuesday, and it will be introduced in the British House of Commons on Thursday.
So far more than 1,100 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the UK. All 21 deaths have been people over 60 or those with underlying health conditions.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday urged manufacturers to increase the number of ventilators being made.
Hancock admitted that it would be "a big ask" to request all seniors stay isolated for up to sixteen weeks, but he said it is "for their own self-protection" from the coronavirus.
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