A primary school headteacher has died after testing positive for coronavirus as young and healthy Britons begin to fall victim to the disease in increasing numbers.
Wendy Jacobs was headteacher at Roose Primary School in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
She was diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus last week and was rushed to Furness General Hospital’s intensive care unit but later died.
Pupils, parents and teachers have been left devastated and have decided to close the school today – even for the children of ‘key workers’.
It is not known if she had any underlying health conditions.
Wendy Jacobs was headteacher at Roose Primary School in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
A statement from the school’s Chair of Governors, Fred Chatfield, said: ‘Dear parents and carers, It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that our headteacher Mrs Jacobs passed away today.
‘This is devastating news for our school and nursery community and all our thoughts and sympathies are with her family.
Mrs Jacobs was diagnosed with the deadly COVID-19 virus last week and was rushed to Furness General Hospital’s intensive care unit but later died
‘We are all in shock, and given these exceptional circumstances we have taken the decision to close the school and nursery fully tomorrow to all pupils, including those of essential workers.
‘I am sure you will understand that opening the school and nursery is not an option.
‘We would recommend that all children we kept at home tomorrow.
‘This is a huge loss to our school, nursery and our community and I will be in touch as soon as possible to explain how we will celebrate Mrs Jacobs’ life and contribution.’
The school’s tragic loss comes as the UK coronavirus death toll reached 281.
Deaths jumped by 48 in 24 hours yesterday, with victims aged between 18 and 102.
The 18-year-old, who had underline health conditions and lived in the West Midlands, is Britain’s youngest victim so far.
A&E doctor and Labour MP for Tooting Dr Rosena Allin-Khan warned Britain is ‘heading for disaster’ on a par with Italy’s as hospitals in the UK approach full capacity.
After completing a shift at St George’s Hospital in south London over the weekend she stressed it is not just elderly and vulnerable patients at risk of dying of the virus.
Young and healthy Britons are being admitted to intensive care units, with a 36-year-old nurse from the West Midlands currently on life support.
As of 9am on Sunday, 78,340 people had been tested for coronavirus in the UK, with 5,683 patients confirmed positive.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the Government is ready to impose tougher restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus if people do not follow the guidance on social distancing.
His warning came after parks, beaches and nature reserves were pictured packed with people enjoying the spring sunshine over the weekend.
- Did you know Wendy Jacobs and want to pay tribute to her? Email lara.keay@mailonline.co.uk or ring 0203 615 1637
Pictured: Pupils, parents and teachers at Roose Primary School in Cumbria have been left devastated by their headteacher’s death
Chilling moment medics carry suspected coronavirus patient into ambulance from his London home as cases jump 665 in a day and a boy, 18, ‘with health issues’ becomes UK’s YOUNGEST death
By Sebastian Murphy-Bates for MailOnline, John Stevens, Colin Fernandez and Larisa Brown for The Daily Mail
A shocking picture of a suspected coronavirus patient being rushed to hospital in London poses a stark warning to Britons who refuse to to observe social distancing rules ‘making full lockdown of the capital inevitable’.’
Disturbing images show medics carrying an elderly patient from a nursing home in Primrose Hill yesterday as the capital faces Italian-style measures to combat Covid-19.
Masked police officers watch as health workers place the senior citizen in an ambulance outside the Carole House complex.
This shocking picture shows an elderly suspected coronavirus patient being rushed to hospital from a care home in Primrose Hill, London
In a tough message to the public from Downing Street, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday: ‘Even if you think you are personally invulnerable, there are plenty of people you can infect.’
The images surfaced just hours after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned people who weren’t following Government advice on social distancing that they have just 24 hours to take the measure seriously.
As an 18-year-old from Coventry, West Midlands, became the youngest person to die of the virus in the UK, Mr Johnson threatened to exert stricter controls to help fight the outbreak.
A source told The Times that a total lockdown could be ‘inevitable’, telling the paper that the PM would have the total support of Cabinet were he to execute the measures.
Mr Johnson spoke out after crowds flocked to seaside resorts to celebrate Mother’s Day.
Britons were seen disobeying the rule of standing six feet apart as the country’s total number of cases hit 5,683.
With 281 people now known to have died from the virus in the UK, the PM used his daily press conference to warn there was ‘no doubt’ he would act to close open spaces and limit all movement outside homes if people continued to act foolishly, but stopped short of immediate action.
He later added: ‘I don’t think you need to use your imagination very much to see where we might have to go, and we will think about this very very actively in the next 24 hours.’
Mr Johnson told the nation it was only ‘two or three’ weeks behind Italy where the death toll has already risen above 4,000 making it the worst outbreak anywhere in the world.
There were 47 new cases identified in the UK on Sunday alone, with Britain’s youngest victim to date dying at University Hospital, Coventry.
Mr Johnson said that unless the UK could control the spread of the virus through social distancing, the NHS would be ‘overwhelmed’ in the same way that the Italian healthcare system had been.
The surge in cases of the virus comes on the day Mr Johnson urged families to stay apart and instead celebrate Mother’s Day via Skype and other remote communications.
In a tough message to the public from Downing Street this afternoon, Mr Johnson said that even though he understood the physical and mental health benefits of open spaces, he would take drastic steps to protect health.
In other developments:
- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Britain rose from 5,018 to 5,683;
- In Italy, coronavirus claimed 651 lives in just one day taking the death toll to 5,476, while in France it rose 112 to 674;
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel went into quarantine after a doctor who treated her tested positive for the virus, and the nation banned meetings of more than two people;
- Chaos is expected at school gates this morning as teachers ask parents to hand over identification or pay slips to prove they are ‘key workers’ and entitled to keep their children in class;
- The NHS is to begin sending out letters to the 1.5million considered to be most at risk of the disease urging them to remain at home for the next 12 weeks;
- A nurse is fighting for her life in the hospital where she works after being diagnosed with coronavirus;
- High street chains including John Lewis, Zara, Waterstones and Primark announced the temporary closure of stores;
- Boots warned staff that it could run out of paracetamol by the end of trading next week, as supermarket panic buying continued with some selfish shoppers even gate-crashing an hour reserved for NHS staff;
- Thousands of churches across London and its suburbs are to close their doors entirely to try to enforce the Government’s rules on social distancing.
At a press conference in Downing Street, Mr Johnson said the Government had already taken ‘very draconian steps’ in closing schools, pubs and restaurants, but said they would have to go further if people do not heed the advice.
The Prime Minister said: ‘A huge quantity of our normal daily life has been totally transformed.
‘It is very important for people’s mental and physical wellbeing and they should be able to get out and exercise if they possibly can.
‘But when we do that we have to do it responsibly. If you don’t do it responsibly… there is going to be no doubt that we will have to bring forward further measures.’
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, an A&E doctor and Labour MP for Tooting, south London, revealed her experience of working on the coronavirus frontlines over the weekend
Ministers are considering following other countries such as Italy and Spain that have banned people from leaving their homes unless they need to go to work or to buy essential food and supplies.
Spanish police arrested 157 people for disobeying the rules in just the first five days, while Italian authorities have the power to fine anyone caught entering or leaving the area of the country worst hit by the virus. Germany has banned gatherings of more than two people outside people’s homes.
Mr Johnson said: ‘I don’t think you need to use your imagination very much to see where we might have to go, and we will think about this very, very actively in the next 24 hours.’
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said people need to realise it ‘isn’t a game’.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the police and Army may soon be required to enforce social distancing, as he warned that unless people stay at home ‘more people will die’.
Meanwhile, Lord Fowler said a more hard-hitting information campaign might be needed if people don’t follow guidance.
Recalling his own experience of dealing with the Aids crisis as health secretary in the 1980s, he told BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour: ‘The first newspaper advertisements we did were very worthy. When we got on to television and we got on to our campaign, ‘Don’t Die of Ignorance’, then they started taking notice.’
Police have been forced to visit bars and restaurants following reports owners are ignoring orders to close. Officers were deployed after it was claimed some rural pubs were planning to hold ‘lock-ins’.
