The UK will “pay the price” for not going into a coronavirus lockdown earlier and will suffer more infections than Italy, a World Health Organisation expert has warned.
Walter Ricciardi, the Italian government's scientific adviser who called for the country's nationwide quarantine, said the government should have taken action earlier than Monday.
He pointed to bleak images of packed carriages on the London Underground, comparing it to a football match in Milan last month that could have accelerated the outbreak in the region of Lombardy.
40,000 football fans travelled from Bergamo to San Siro stadium to watch Atalanta beat Valencia on February 19. Mr Ricciardi told Sky News: "When you take the decision late you pay a price in sick people