Boris Johnson is joined by Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, and the Chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance at today’s daily briefing
Boris Johnson has started today’s press conference by announcing the overwhelming response in those signing up as volunteers to help the NHS, after Matt Hancock requested 250,000 volunteers yesterday.
The Prime Minister announced that 405,000 of people have volunteered to help the NHS and he thanked them for their support.
Boris Johnson says any “world class health service has only limited numbers of doctors, nurses and specialist equipment”, so the more people who become sick at any one time, the harder it is for the NHS to cope.
“It is vital to delay the spread,” he adds. “And with your help we will slow the spread of the disease.”
Mr Johnson says he wants to “repeat the basic message, if you can stay at home then you overwhelmingly should”.
Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty says every country is approaching this “slightly differently and has a slightly different epidemic pattern”.
But he says the modelling in the UK was “based on the idea quite a lot of people would have to go to work”.
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