He is an expert in response on dim urgency operations at the European Center for Disease Prevention Control.

And I asked him if he thought the measures that Italy had put in place were proportionate.

If you put the things into context and see what has happened in China with drastic measures, it is something that it's not unreasonable.

And therefore I want to ask you, How close do you think how close or otherwise you think the U.

K.

Is to being in the same situation?

Is Italy well, the U.

K.

Is in the situation.

Italy was a couple of weeks ago, two or three weeks ago.

But the U.

K has an advantage because the UK So what has happened in South Korea and Italy?

So there is still time to do something more and quicker than in Italy.

So you think the government here should move to the social distancing measures, the banning of large public gatherings and so on?

That would be a very reasonable thing to do.

And if it doesn't, and if it doesn't, you get in the UK the same situation that there is in Italy now, seriously, thousands and thousands of positive cases.

You believe if we don't do that here?

Yeah, I'm I'm sure that mounted figure is around 200.

If I'm not mistaken.

Italy went from 200 to 1000 in 10 days.

And that's how this disease is working.

So therefore, I wouldn't expect without any measures toe situation, Toby.

Very different.

How long does the government have here, too?

To implement those measures to stop it spreading in the way we have seen it doing in Italy?

Not a very long time, I would say a few days.

Really.

You know, we are in an exponential curve, so the cases are dumpling very quickly, so you don't really have a lot of time Now.

You may see, you know, hundreds, but very soon, if you don't do anything, the thousands will come extremely quickly.

So I would say days the government's got an emergency meeting today.

Perhaps today would be the day to bring in those social distancing measures, in your view.

But that would be welcome.

I think that would be a very good idea.

And what specifically are you thinking the British government should be implementing here to stop us becoming the next Italy.

Well, you know, we published our risk assessment last week where we have different scenarios, and the scenario UK is in is either the scenario two or three where the cases are still raising exponentially.

But the community transmission is not completely recognized, so I think that now the U.

K.

Is in the situation.

We describe the scenario three off our risk assessment.

We very soon the community transmission being recognized.

It looks like also that with the UK is exporting some cases.

So this is the right time to act okay on by act.

Are you saying people should work from home?

Football matches should be played behind closed doors?

Or are you talking about locking down whole towns and cities, locking time down all down in cities?

It's not something that is easily feasible in the Western world, but the social instance ing the care of not having big meeting's off people.

The possibility off working from home when possible, there diminishing the chances off contacts between people.

You know, washing hands don't shake, ends all these distance people from people and makes the transmission less easy.

So that is what can happen Locking down towns has happened in China.

I don't think it's very feasible in places like the UK or Italy for that matters, you know, even in Italy, the quarantine that is imposed let people move to go to the shops.

Let me people move to Goto work when absolutely necessary.

So it's not a Chinese look down eighties, lowering off the chances of meeting other people.

Do you think the U.

K.

Has been slow in terms of implementing measures compared to other European nations?

I don't really think so.

UH, it is a very difficult situation to read because the increase from very near a handful of cases to hundreds and thousands it's It's very quick, and I I really don't think it waas possible for the government's toe react quicker.

It would have been very difficult to explain to the population drastic measures without having at least some cases that can be shown off them.

Operate after Brexit.

As you know, Britain is due to leave.

The early warning and response system, which has helped coordinate the response to the virus and played a role, certainly played a very vital role during the bird flu outbreak.

What do you think of that?

It's a pity The arrests were particularly well in coordinating and extensive information inside Europe recently.

Switzerland as toe get into the system.

And of course, the request was granted.

So losing the possibility to exchange information with the U.

K on the AWS would be for us.

Quite the loss, I wonder.

Finally, if you think the the numbers of dad in Italy from Corona virus are what the UK can expect without measures, Yes, I think that the percentage off people dying from Corona virus wouldn't change that much between Italy and the U.

K.

Thank you very much for your time.