Coronavirus

Lord Grayling Excerpts
Monday 9th March 2020

(4 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Grayling Portrait Chris Grayling (Epsom and Ewell) (Con)
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This is obviously a particularly worrying time for our elderly population who are, by all accounts, more likely to suffer badly from the disease. What advice would the Secretary of State and, indeed, the chief medical officer give to the elderly, their families and their neighbours about how best to protect them? What actions should they take to ensure they are not exposed to this disease?

Matt Hancock Portrait Matt Hancock
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That is a really important point, and the advice now is, as for everybody else, that they should wash their hands, follow the public health advice and catch sneezes and coughs. We do not rule out changing that advice to advising measures that help protect either the elderly or more vulnerable people who have pre-existing health conditions, because an approach that treats them differently is appropriate given that the disease treats them differently.