Stephen Powis: Virus likely to become established

NHS Director Stephen Powis says the virus is unlikely to be eradicated completely and it is too soon to talk of an exit strategy from current measures being taken to halt its spread.

“It is very likely this virus will become established in populations around the world so we need strategy to manage this over time,” he says.

Mr Gove says the UK is developing tools to tackle the virus including treatments, vaccines and making sure the NHS has the resilience to handle future cases.

“We are dealing with a new virus whose spread and capacity to cause death are unlike those we have seen before,” he says.