We must pull together to beat Coronavirus | MP Penny Mordaunt

World Health Organisation director-general Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus on announcing Coronavirus as a global health emergency, said: ‘Our greatest enemy...is not the virus itself. It’s fear, rumours and stigma.’
Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt says we must pull together to beat Coronavirus 

Picture: Habibur RahmanPortsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt says we must pull together to beat Coronavirus 

Picture: Habibur Rahman
Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt says we must pull together to beat Coronavirus Picture: Habibur Rahman

I know people will be worried, especially about vulnerable loved ones. But the only way we will beat this is by all working together and by being led by the science.

We must make a huge effort to follow sensible public health advice. This will not only reduce the number of people who get the virus but will help the UK’s response by flattening out the infection rate.

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Hand hygiene is the solution. Washing your hands regularly and well for at least two verses of Happy Birthday is a good habit to get into.

We have the right healthcare and social care provision in place to protect the most vulnerable and to cope if large numbers of staff have to be isolated themselves.

Keep an eye on elderly and vulnerable neighbours. Often these people are the least able to cope with reduced social contact.

They may not be online, not able to order a supermarket delivery, or get help or specific advice. It is good to let people know they can ask for help, especially if family are not around.

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We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the many NHS, care and resilience staff who have been working around the clock to ensure we are well prepared and to reduce infection rates.

We have an incredibly good and robust health system and a well-trained resilience team in Hampshire. Together we can protect the vulnerable, look after each other and beat the virus.

Britain is also working to find a vaccine to protect us in future from this, and to strengthen healthcare systems in other nations not as well-equipped.

This is a reminder that we all have a stake in global health security – disease knows no borders. By supporting global vaccination programmes and sharing NHS expertise with others, we ultimately make ourselves safer.

It is a reminder about how much our country has to offer the world.