Army called in to help with food deliveries to homes as up to 1.5MILLION people at highest risk to coronavirus are sent letters telling them to stay in their homes for THREE MONTHS
The British Army has been called in to help with food deliveries to people’s homes as an astonishing 1.5million people were told to stay at home for up to three months.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said that GPs were writing to hundreds of thousands of people with pre-existing health conditions, telling them not even to go out to shop for food or obtain medication.
Instead they will be asked to rely on family and other co-habitants to bring supplies to them, with armed forces, supermarkets and the NHS co-ordinating to bring items to those totally isolated alone.
Mr Jenrick told Sky News’ Ridge on Sunday that the Government was not ruling out a complete lockdown of the country if people continued to flout pleas to socially distance from each other, amid huge crowds at beaches and in parks.
‘We want to live in a free society where we can continue to go about activities whilst following the medical advice,’ he said.
‘But this isn’t a game, it is very serious.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said that GPs were writing to hundreds of thousands of people with pre-existing health conditions
Instead they will be asked to rely on family and other co-habitants to bring supplies to them, with armed forces, supermarkets and the NHS co-ordinating to bring items to those totally isolated alone.
‘People need to follow that advice. If people don’t follow that advice then clearly we’ll have to consider other options, but none of us want to go down that route.’
Mr Jenrick said people can still go out for walks and take exercise, but they should stay away from others.
‘Lots of people sat out together in parks or on beaches. That isn’t sensible. We strongly discourage that,’ he said.
The move came as Boris Johnson called for Britons to resist visiting their parents on Mother’s Day, with the Prime Minister warning the Covid-19 outbreak is ‘accelerating’.
The Government and health officials have urged the 1.5 million people in England considered most at risk from the disease because of their health conditions to begin ‘shielding’ themselves by staying at home.
Letters will go out this week ‘strongly advising’ them not to go out for at least 12 weeks from Monday.
Mr Jenrick said: ‘The NHS will be delivering medicines to these people through the community pharmacy network and I’ve been working with councils, with supermarkets and with the armed forces, to ensure that food and other basic supplies can be delivered to the doorstep of these people, hundreds of thousands of people across the country for as long as it takes.
‘There is enough food in the system, we have a very resilient food sector, but we all need to behave responsibly and considerately.
‘That isn’t happening in all cases today and we need to make sure that happens.
‘Supermarkets are best placed to take action and put in place specific systems and schemes in their own stores, knowing their customers and what’s going on, on the ground and many are doing that, helping the elderly have specific times of day to go shopping or have special schemes in place for NHS and social care workers, and I strongly support that.
‘I really urge members of the public to behave responsibly, if you just shop for what you and your family need and there will be plenty of food for other people and their families.’