UK public urged to ‘stay at home’ to fight coronavirus

London, Jan 10 : The British government urged Britons to “stay at home” in a major advertising campaign to help protect Britain’s national health system and save lives as surging coronavirus cases are threatening to overwhelm hospitals in the country.
Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, said in an advert rolled out on radio, TV and social media on Saturday: “COVID-19, especially the new variant, is spreading quickly across the country. This puts many people at risk of serious disease and is placing a lot of pressure on our NHS (National Health Service).” “Vaccines give clear hope for the future, but for now we must all stay home, protect the NHS and save lives,” he added, Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also urging compliance of the public to tackle the crisis.
“Our hospitals are under more pressure than at any other time since the start of the pandemic, and infection rates across the entire country continue to soar at an alarming rate. The vaccine rollout has given us renewed hope, but it’s critical for now we stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.” he said on Twitter Saturday.
The latest development came as Britain recorded another 68,053 coronavirus cases, the highest ever daily increase since the pandemic began in the country, official figures showed Friday.