Clearly, Corona virus is a huge challenge to the country on dhe.

On behalf of everyone, I want to send our deepest condolences to the family into the loved ones of the patient who died today with Corona virus.

And I'm sure that that will be a worrying moment for lots of people on.

Understandably so.

And I feel the responsibility deeply for getting the government response to this right.

The government on the only people who need to respond.

It's actually something all of us can play a part in on dhe.

It's perfectly reasonable for people to be worried.

Now, of course, for the majority of people, if they catch Corona virus, then it'll be a mild, relatively mild disease on dhe.

The vast majority will fully recover.

And so, from that point of view, for most people, this will be something akin to getting the flu if they get it.

But obviously it's also having some very significant effects, both on the economy, in terms of people, how they manage their daily lives, and then for a for a small proportion of people, we estimate around 1% of those who catch it, then it is fatal.

And so it is a very serious consideration.

And the thing that makes it more difficult is that this virus, this disease, is new.

And that means that none of us have the natural antibodies that we have to something like a flu.

So it is a serious problem for the country, and all of us need to play our part and can play our part in making sure that we as a country and as a world, respond as a CZ well as we possibly can.

And you can ask, how worried do you I'm not personally particularly worried because I feel that I don't fall into the category where I should be majorly concerned.

From what I have read that it will be for the majority of us severe cold or flu like symptoms.

And yet a lot of what you read implies that we should almost be barricading the doors.

Okay, Okay, well, we're going to get into more specific things in a moment.

Zand.

How afraid should we be?

I think it's such a good question, Jill, because everyone I know is wondering how to react to the news that we're getting the first death today.

Ah, 100 cases.

How serious is it?

I guess I would say there is an urgency.

And the fact that Cove it is is dominating the headlines is because every single person in the UK should be changing their behavior today.

The most important thing is hand washing.

The hand washing will not reduce your chances of catching it to zero, but it will dramatically slow the spread and slowing the spread is very urgent because the number of cases doubles every few days.

A few days ago, we had 40 50 cases.

Now we have 100.

In a few days time, we will have 200 on that.

Doubling may well keep on going on as it doubles.

As Matt said, a small proportion of those people not necessarily the small proportion that died but maybe 5%.

Maybe 10% will need intensive care, or at least a high dependency unit.

And those beds are in short supply of the moment in the N.

H.

S as they always are.

And so the more we can spread things out, the more likely it is that we can provide high quality care, toe everyone that needs it and keep mortality as low as possible.

That's the urgency, so everyone should be invested.

I mean, there are things you can do.

You should be hygienic in terms of catching and killing, sneezes and coughs in terms of wiping surfaces.

I think everyone should be self monitoring.

And if you're concerned, even more than normal, avoiding infecting other people and then I would say I know, man, I probably don't really disagree with this.

I think the government has been very, very sensible of providing good quality, evidence based information.

Personally, I like not handshaking, not because it made in itself stop the spread enormously, but because it makes you think when you walk into a room we all just met kind of backstage on Guy wouldn't shake anyone's hand, and it made it intensely awkward, never almost suddenly talking about Corona virus.

I quite like that.

Then you start to get out the alcohol gel and think about it.

There's loads of other things you could do.

You could do a Rh kisses.

You can do a little hug.

You can do about a wave, a foot tap a knuckle bump.

However you want to greet people, but all of it, I like an elbow bump, but that makes people conscious of hygiene.

So, yeah, everyone should be invested.

No one should panic.

And sand will be demonstrating all those things once, Margaret, however, Jules, Lassie half rate would be I don't think we should be afraid.

But I think we should be wary and cautious on dhe and look for sound information.

One of things that strikes me forcibly is that this is going to illuminate all the problems we've already got in our health service, which we know is underfunded and all those things on debt will bring a lot of that home.

And so I think this is going to be apart from anything else.

Gonna be appear where people can learn about each other about what the country's problems are, what we need to do to resolve them on that are single in itself, be important.

But so I don't think we should go about in fear and dread.

But I don't think we ought to be city I Tim.

I noticed that all the loo roll has gone in my local supermarket.

So on and so is the hand jealous?

Well, I don't know why people have gone for the hero.

I don't know, want to know, But it's all gonna give her love.

And I'm gonna be a black market in its eye on the government's getting it about right, which is to walk this fine line between getting people ready on getting people conscious of the way they're behaving, but also not causing too much alarm, because there's always a risk that you generate so much alarmed that that actually does more damage than the virus itself.

At least economically.

We don't want our way of life to be changed forever.

That that's always what one is conscious about trying to avoid.

I want to be out to go back to shaking hands.

I'm not going to walk around doing that all day.

I want things to go back to normal as soon as possible, and therefore any short term inconvenience that we have to accept.

Fair enough.

But the goal is to keep calm, carry on, not hysterical, because that's kind of what defines Britain.

They Well, I think I think like you for myself.

I'm not actually that worried.

I'm young and healthy, and if I get it, there's a very good chance will be okay.

But I am worried for my particularly grandparent's people, who are more vulnerable people who perhaps don't have the same resilience financially as I do.

I've been doing a lot of work in the last few days writing to Matt, in fact, about statutory sick pay, thinking of those who have jobs on zeros, contract in the gig economy, who have toe actually think hard about?

Do I go to work today, or do I do the right thing for other people, which is too self isolated?

They have those symptoms and they've been in contact with someone and all credit to the government.

They've been listening, and they have now changed those rules.

So we are trying to all work together on this, and I think that's really important that actually, politicians at a time like this do our jobs on DDE.

Talk about the most vulnerable constituents that we have.

The other people, I really do worry about our people like the homeless on.

I was talking to people in the sector today who are concerned, and I say this talking to Matt.

They haven't had guidance about what to do for people, particularly rough sleepers.

And you have to think if you don't have a home, how do you self isolate?

And I see he's writing that down, and I hope you're going to take that back.

Because actually, at a time like this, we perform a really important job, which is to ask the right questions on behalf off the people that we serve on.

The job of the government, I think, is to respond in Listen, okay, There's a lot of very practical questions that many of you have vast.

So I'm gonna do kind of feel like for want of a better phrase, the quick fire round to you, Matt, if I may.

So a quick question and a reasonably free France.

I want to get in Dominions.

I can Jim doctors.

You want to kick us off with the first death today?

Should we now be preventing large gatherings at sports events and theaters where we're looking into the exact science off?

What the approach should be as the numbers grow was still in the phase where we were trying to contain this virus, but also exactly As Xan said, delaying the onset has a big benefit in terms of the impact on the N hs.

Actually, the more we look at the science of this particular virus, the more it is clear that the large scale events are not necessarily a cz big spreaders, as a lot of people think.

And the reason for that is the way that this virus transmits is through its respiratory, so through close proximity.

So if you'll say outdoors, then on do you have the virus?

Then you would still only be affecting the people near to you.

So the most important thing is to get the message is that people who have the virus and have the symptoms need to self isolate.

So following the science is absolutely at the heart of the government's response.

And if I just also respond to Layla's point because she was complimentary about how the government is handling this, I would also say, across party in Parliament, I've never seen Parliament respond to something like this, absolutely coming together to try to find the right scientific response to this crisis and try to bring the country together.

Another question from Thomas Bates.

How Will the government support those who self isolate due to Corona virus who are entitled statue, she said.

Pay such as those in zero hours contracts.

Thomas.

This is incredibly important question and we've said that people should not be penalized for doing the right thing.

So we will change the rules on statutory sick pay.

But we're also working on making sure that people who are, say, self employed or they're in an employment contract that doesn't allow them to get statutory sick pay because they don't earn the the minimum amount made because they don't do.

They don't work full time to make sure that they get the support they need as well.

Because if we financial support from the government, yes, because if we as government are asking people to self isolate, then they shouldn't be penalized for doing the right thing, which is good for them, but good for the whole community.

And when can we expect an announcement on that?

Well, the prime minister made the announcement yesterday in broad terms, and I'm working with the the D.

W P secretary and the business secretary to get the exact rules of that right and then they'll go through Parliament.

Okay, Andrew Fenton.

Okay, If I get thrown of ours, how should I self isolate from my family?

This is another incredibly important question.

People should try to self isolate from their families.

So not only go home, try not todo out, for instance, shopping.

Definitely don't use public transport, but within your home, you should also try to isolate.

Now, look, I'm the father of three Children.

I understand that that could be difficult.

And some people have caring responsibilities, but as much as possible, stay on your own, even within your own home.

So practice things like that Sharing bathroom kitchen.

Well, so long as you wash your hands and wipe down surfaces that you use, you can take these precautions on dhe.

Obviously, you know there are practicalities, but the the strong advice is to as much as you possibly can, even with your own within your own home.

If yourself isolating, keep yourself to yourself.

Okay, Nikola, pile.

Okay.

The media seem to help create panic buying.

How do we stop causing shortages caused by this?

Yes, we've already had a loo ral.

Well, there's There's absolutely no need for for individuals to go around buying more than they need.

And in fact, look.

Part of the response to this has to be else coming together.

We are, after all, heard it's the biology that is causing the problem on dhe.

And so obviously the very, very strong advice from the scientist from the medics is that people should not go about buying more than they need some.

The went to the supermarket today.

Pastor.

No pastor, no dry pastor.

It'll no toilet rolls.

As you said earlier, Tim, you know people are panicked by that.

I mean, there's no paracetamol, anything like that that you could get in the supermarkets.

Well, I understand that.

But what I'd say is that the government has supplies off the key things that are needed and within the food supply, we are absolutely confident that people will, that that that that won't be a problem there.

And crucially, we're working with the supermarkets to make sure that if people are self isolating, then we'll be able to get the food and supplies that they need.

Lui mais where Yes, as a student about, say, a levels for a place at university, what will happen if our exams a cut short by the Corona virus.

Well, this is This is another important one that we're doing everything we can to prevent that happening, subject to keeping people safe.

So the overall principle is that we we've got to first priority absolutely, is to keep people safe, and I feel that very keenly, But also we want to minimize the social, any comic disruption, hence, unlike some other countries that have done this.

But the scientific advice is really clear.

Not to Scott close schools and colleges, and the messages to schools is don't close unless you specifically have the advice from Public health England to do so on then as we come into exam season.

Obviously we are.

We're monitoring that very closely on the Education Department is doing, I think, a fantastic job in keeping the school system running.

But as we get to exams, we will do everything we can to allow that to proceed.

But But, of course, you'll understand that if if we have to take action to keep people safe, then way are prepared to do that.

Let's say one more for throat open toe from Oliver Carter's and what is the government doing to tackle the wait time from Corona virus tests?

Yes, the tests.