Singapore says UK’s not trying to combat virus

Bloomberg

The UK and Switzerland are effectively not trying to combat the coronavirus and cases in the countries are likely to surge in the coming weeks, a Singapore minister said.
“One concern we have with cases such as UK and Switzerland isn’t just about the numbers. It is that these countries have abandoned any measure to contain or restrain the virus,” Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said at a press briefing on Sunday. “If there’s no attempt to contain, we estimate the number of cases in these countries to rise significantly in the coming days and weeks.”
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has been criticised for not following other countries by shutting down schools and banning large gatherings to stop the spread of the disease. The UK response has instead cantered on personal hygiene, self-isolation of those who think they are sick and the tracing and testing of those confirmed to have the disease.
Switzerland has attempted to slow the spread of the virus by closing schools and banning events with more than 100 people until mid-April.
The priority now is to increase testing and encourage citizens to protect themselves, President Simonetta Sommaruga said.