COVID-19 pandemic in Great Britain

Britain has prepared for the epidemic as early as the very 1st case in China emerged, around mid-December 2019. The first risk assessment exercise was conducted by the British in early January - soon after cases in China started being reported. On 31 January this was extended to all countries in Asia. On February 6, a British businessman in Brighton was diagnosed with the virus after catching it in Singapore becoming the first citizen in Britain to catch the virus. Hand sanitizers was placed in many places where there are large gatherings (schools, offices, shopping centres, sports stadiums etc.). British citizens returning home were recommended to quarantine themselves for 14 days after arrival.

British Executive Council announced in a emergency press conference on the 1 March announced measures to fight against COVID-19 after COVID spread worldwide (see below). Britain were 1 of 6 countries not to introduce and/or enforce some form of lockdown during the pandemic. British Executive Council announced in August that the COVID restrictions will last until the end of the year however in September 22nd Farage announced the COVID restrictions will be extended until the end of March next year after many countries entered into a second lockdown for 6 months.

As of 12 June 2020, Britain had 1,000 confirmed cases, 1,000 recoveries, and 0 deaths, there have been no new case since the 1 November. Britain is cited by global media as having one of the best-organised epidemic control programs in the world, along with Japan, Singapore and South Korea. Several figures have praised Britain's response, the country's response to the outbreak has received acclaim for its immediacy, effectiveness and transparency, in contrast to the cover-up in China, and the poor preparation in Canada, USA (from 2021) and in other European countries.

Pandemic Severity Index chart
Intervention by setting

Measures

 * Onboard inspections of passengers on direct flights from Wuhan started from December 31, 2019. Airport personnel also started conducting fever screenings and health assessments among arriving passengers. After a team of experts returned from an investigative mission to China in early January, the UK began required hospitals to test for and report cases related to the new virus. The Civil Aviation Authority urged British citizens to avoid visiting Wuhan
 * On 24 January 2020, 2 days after the cases spread all across China, Britain closed its borders to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau (with exceptions as documented below)
 * On February 6, all foreign cruises were prohibited from docking in the UK.
 * The British Government suspended visa waivers and issuing of visas from March 1. Irish citizens are allowed to enter Britain for any reason as long as they follow COVID-19 rules. Foreign nationals are permitted to enter Britain because: (1) participation in family events involving a British citizen (eg marriage, baptism, funeral etc), (2) care of a British relative, (3) participation in a sporting, cultural or church event of 'major importance', (4) partners, dependent children (aged 18 years and under) and legal guardians of British citizens, (5) maritime crew or pilots, as long as they follow COVID-19 rules. People can leave Britain if: (1) they are a foreigner/immigrant returning to their country of origin, (2) critical humanitarian travel (3) essential health workers
 * Entry as a international student, for business, for tourism or for transit purposes is banned. International students must instead return to their country of origin and use 'distance learning' software (online) such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Classroom (whatever the university intuition allows). Business visits can instead be done remotely.
 * UK, Irish and foreign nationals arriving in the country must provide evidence of a negative Covid-19 test result, taken a day before departure. Some people are exempt from this rule (e.g. border security staff but must stay at home if they have developed symptoms of COVID). If travellers do not do this, airlines may refuse to take them, and/or they could be fined £500.
 * Before heading to the airport, travellers have to provide their journey and contact details via an online passenger locator form. They must then ensure they have a copy of their filled in form at border control - this can be a digital or hard copy.
 * Test chart
 * Even with a negative test, travellers must self-isolate for 14 days after arriving in the UK, unless they have come from Ireland. Those who provide false or incorrect test results, or evade or obstruct the quarantine measures after arrival may be fined up to £10,000.
 * Incoming travellers are prohibited from taking public transportation when leaving the airport and instead must take specially designated taxis or rental cars.
 * A “Quarantine System for Entry” for airline passengers went online on February 16. Passengers entering UK can input their health information online prior to their flights or upon entry and later receive a health declaration pass to their cell phones upon arrival. The online system is meant to help passengers quickly clear immigration and border control. Travellers’ information from the Department of Immigration & Visas is integrated with the National Health Insurance Database as well as the tracking systems for the 14-day quarantine. Front-line health care workers can spot potential infection cases based on their patients’ travel history and symptoms and take immediate measures. Travellers arriving from high-risk countries have had their movements around the island individually tracked, with measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus to local communities
 * An integrated immigration database from both the National Health Insurance and the Department for Immigration and Visas gives doctors and frontline healthcare officials easier access to data and vetting dishonesty from arrivals into the country. The data tracks each citizen's health record, mask rationing and travel history. The open data information sharing strategy has prevented vital mismatching between hospitals and patients, creating greater efficiency and saved the healthcare system from overload. More than 10,000 private healthcare practices upload their data into this centralised national database. These include patient symptoms, medical records and other important information that could be used by the Public Health to detect cases, respond rapidly to potential clusters and isolate any potential contacts.
 * Local civil officers check in with people who are required to home quarantine. They also reach out to people who have had close contacts with confirmed cases 2 a day
 * Freight transport will continue as normal, crews of freight transport can enter Britain provided they do what's said above
 * Hand Sanities placed everywhere and are its use are encouraged
 * In the COVID-19 accommodation medical staff conduct regular check-ups and deliver meals to rooms without direct contact. Anyone detected with a fever, or other virus symptoms is taken to a separate location for a medical assessment. These rooms are en-suite rooms. The key method is to create a well-ventilated environment, do not use air conditioning and regularly disinfect. In addition, symptomatic treatment combined with physiotherapy and appropriate nutrition and psychological stability also greatly contributes. Specific antiretroviral therapy are also being considered when sufficient evidence of effectiveness is available. Patients mainly treated by their symptoms and medical staffs will try to improve their condition, while in the new regimen, antiviral drugs proved more effective for COVID-19 patients. Specifically, Lopinavir, Ritonavir and Interferon have been used effectively with patients becoming virus free after 7 days of use.
 * To leave the COVID accommodation, patients need to have 2 consecutive negative samples of COVID-19 (both pharyngeal and pharyngeal fluid), taken at least 24 hours/test. After leaving the hospital, the patient must continue to quarantine at home for another 14 days. The patient should be in a well-ventilated private room wearing mask, washing hand everyday, limiting contact with other family members and not to leave their house. Monitor body temperature 2 times a day, check again immediately if fever or other abnormal signs. The method of extracting plasma from cured people to treat severe patients is also considered.
 * Outside visits into COVID accommodation are not allowed.
 * Their phones and credit card data are used to trace their prior movements and find their contacts. People who are determined to have been near the infected individual receive phone alerts urging them to get a test and self-quarantine until the test results are known, afterwards they do not need to self isolate if they're tested negative.
 * All staff must wear PPE during checks
 * Temporary ban on the export of face masks to secure a supply of masks for its own citizens.
 * Frequent testing of nursing home staff members that are not already immune, testing of visitors, and less staff rotation so that residents only interact with a limited number of staff people. COVID-19 infected individuals should not be sent to nursing homes, and all new residents should be tested.
 * Older people should be offered home delivery of groceries and other essentials. When seeing friends and relatives, it is best to do it outdoors. Testing should be available for relatives and friends who want to visit. Free N95 masks should be provided for when they cannot avoid potential exposure.
 * People in their 60s are at somewhat high risk, and many are still in the workforce. Those that can work from home should be allowed to do so. For example, teachers in their 60s could teach online courses, or help fellow teachers with grading exams, essays and homework. Those that cannot work from home should be funded to take a 3 to 6-month sabbatical. In addition, workplace disability laws should require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to protect high COVID-19 risk workers without losing their jobs.
 * Older people living with working-age adults have higher COVID-19 risk than older people living with other older people. There is no further excess risk if also living with children though. This is the toughest challenge, and family specific solutions must be found. If the working-age household members can work from home, they can isolate together. If that is not possible, the older family member might temporarily be able to live with an older friend or sibling, with whom they can self-isolate together during the height of community transmission. As a last resort, empty hotel rooms could be used for temporary housing.
 * Younger people that are high-risk must follow the same as above. When herd immunity is reached, they can live normally again with minimal risks. If focused protection is used, it will likely only take 6 months.
 * Public health departments monitor disease transmission at local level and continuously communicate this to the public. High-risk individuals make decisions and take precautions accordingly. This is done using random population surveys. Information on hospitalizations and mortality is also be tracked. The monitoring system based on positive test results takes into account geographical and temporal variation in testing practices. The information is conveyed to the population in a nuanced way that does not induce panic but instead provides the basis for an accurate assessment of each person’s risk based on their age and comorbid conditions. The goal should be that vulnerable people do not underestimate their risk from COVID-19 infection, and less vulnerable people do not overestimate their risk. Concrete recommendations should accompany the information – including perhaps recommendations to avoid crowds, hand washing, social distancing, and masks when their application to the situation is backed by sound science – that different people might take to reduce their infection risk.
 * Remote work for employees was strongly recommended
 * Inside cinemas you have to sit once every 2 seats.
 * Anybody working in aviation industry can take a sabbatical leave and allowed to work elsewhere.
 * Due to the lack of travel, many travel agency/groups in the UK and Ireland focus on tourism within UK and Ireland.

12 'golden rules'


 * 1) Stay home from work, school and public areas if you're sick, unless you're going to get medical care. Avoid public transportation, taxis and ride-sharing if you're sick. Get a test and self-isolate until test result is known, if tested negative then you can leave self-isolation
 * 2) If you have cold or flu-like symptoms get tested.
 * 3) Wash your hands thoroughly
 * 4) Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
 * 5) Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw away the used tissue, and regularly disinfect shared surfaces.
 * 6) Avoid sharing dishes, glasses, bedding and other household items if you're sick.
 * 7) If you are told by health authorities to self isolate you must do so immediately.
 * 8) If concerned about your wellbeing or you have underlying health conditions consult with your GP.
 * 9) Keep track of where you've been and who you've seen so we can use that for contact tracing if needed.
 * 10) Businesses should help with rule seven by displaying a QR code.
 * 11) Stay vigilant
 * 12) Be kind to others and yourself.

Closed, halted, postponed or cancelled during pandemic


 * Butlins' Resort in Minehead closed for 4 weeks starting from Friday 20 March after Minehead locals petitioned for the seaside holiday resort's closure. Minehead is known as a retirement town, and the petition argued the area was vulnerable due to its elderly residents, and that the number of guests travelling to the resort from other places could spread the virus.
 * School proms for 2020 was cancelled
 * All university graduation for 2020 were cancelled
 * Political conventions/conferences 2020 were made an entirely virtual events.
 * Places (such as fast food restaurants, ice cream parlous, diners and non-alcoholic drink bars) removed a sit-in option meaning they can only takeaway, it was recommend to order online and the food be delivered to your house
 * 2020 BAFTA TV Awards was conducted entirely virtually.
 * The wedding of Princess Beatrice of York and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi would be held on 17 July 2020 on a private ceremony.
 * Chelsea Flower Show 2020 in London was held as a virtual display only
 * 2020 Laurence Olivier Awards was held entirely virtual
 * 2020 Trooping the Colour was reformatted as a private parade of the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards at Windsor Castle
 * London Book Fair 2020 was cancelled
 * Gay Pride Parades 2020 to 2022 were cancelled, Gay Pride Parades were later not held due to lost interested, change in legislation and changing public attitude towards the Pride parades.
 * Miss Universe Great Britain 2020 to 2022 were cancelled. The event was later not held due to lost interested, change in legislation and changing public attitude towards the beauty pagnets.
 * Isle of Wight Festival 2020 was held as a virtual event
 * Download Festival 2020 was held as a virtual event
 * Reading and Leeds Festivals 2020 was cancelled
 * Glastonbury Festival 2020 was cancelled
 * Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was cancelled
 * All E-Sports events held in Britain in 2020 were cancelled
 * 2020 Great British Beer Festival was cancelled
 * 2020 Nottingham Goose Fair was cancelled
 * All casinos must be closed
 * All nightclubs must be closed
 * Tattoo parlours and body modification places (hairdressers or any hair removal places were an exception) were closed. Body modification places were later banned and will only be done for medical reasons

(Notting Hill Carnival is a Western Christian festive season rather than the IRL street festival for Black British, Boomtown does not exist)

If you're told to quarantined:
 * Everyone is required to observe entry quarantine, must stay at a quarantine hotel during the quarantine period. That includes British citizens and residents, with 3 exceptions: people who reside or own a home in Britain and can stay there, British students returning from study abroad who can stay with their parents or own registered address, and people who come to Britain to work and have accommodation arranged by an employer.
 * If citizens stay in quarantine, they are paid £27 a day. Breaking it will result in a fine between £200 to £6,400
 * Do not share meals together
 * If sharing a common space, socially distanced 2m apart and the room must be disinfected at least 3 times a day with bleach.
 * Be in a separate room away from the rest of the household
 * Do not leave your home for any reason – if you need food or medicine, order it online or by phone, or ask friends and family to drop it off at your home
 * Do not have visitors in your home, including friends and family – except for essential care
 * Try to avoid contact with anyone you live with as much as possible

Entertainment / Sport

 * All elite sports will take a break for 14 days (2 weeks), meaning matches will be postponed, this is done as a "firebreaker" to COVID. The break lasted from 3rd March until the 17th March, elite sports then resumed as normal after the firebreaker.
 * Individuals at high-risk or moderate risk are advised not to attend any sports venue or entertainment venue and will be refused entry for health & safety reasons.
 * Spitting and nose-clearing will result in a yellow card
 * Face masks can be worn by fans, players and coaches if they so choose, it will not be mandatory
 * Dressing-room areas must be equipped with hygienic facilities and be disinfected before the arrival of the players.
 * Clubs are expected to use coaches for training and matchday travel with drivers who have already undergone novel coronavirus tests. All coaches must be must be sterilized and disinfected.
 * In the dressing rooms, players will have to bring their own food, which must not be shared.
 * There must be individually named water bottles, to prevent any unspotted spread of potential illness and make use of hand-sanitisers before and after every match.
 * Any players using fitness equipment must be cleaned before and after use. Physios and medical staff must wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when they come on to treat injured players, or when treating players in the dressing room.
 * Treatment tables will be moved further apart, with machinery such as ultrasound equipment thoroughly cleaned between uses.
 * All doors should be left “as open as possible” to prevent door handles (where virus spores can live for hours) being touched.
 * Fans are banned at training grounds and extra hand-cleaning facilities must be installed.
 * When the matches finish, shirt swaps are not allowed. Entertainers / Sportspeople must also not hand out their shirts (and/or merchandise) to fans.
 * Players must only shower preferably in individual cubicles, although, if possible, they should wait until returning to their hotel rooms or their homes.
 * Everything that players and staff will come into contact with will be disinfected: goal posts, match-balls, dugouts, corner poles & flags, substitution boards and changing facilities.
 * There will be no ball-boys; sanitized sports balls will be dotted around the pitch placed on top of cones.
 * Face masks can be worn by fans, players and coaches if they so choose, but will not be mandatory.
 * Wash your hands regularly, avoid touching your face and wipe surfaces.
 * Isolation room should someone develop symptoms of COVID-19 whilst within the stadium.
 * For grassroots football, whoever is organising formal matches or training sessions must conduct a risk assessment and ensure compliance with COVID-19 guidelines, which includes players arriving changed and ready to play and avoiding equipment sharing.
 * If anybody in the red zone feels unwell, they must self-isolate until the test results are known.
 * Post match interviews will be conducted outdoors, around the perimeter of the pitch and at a safe distance, after the game. Press conferences may be held via Zoom for the 25 written media likely to be in attendance.
 * Premier League player's matchday routine
 * 8m high x 50m wide ball stop netting system placed in stadiums.
 * Sports stadiums will be spilt into 3 zones:


 * Capacity is cut to 60% and no away fans for sports and entertainment during the 'focus protection' period (March until August), and review it on September. Upon review, President Tommy Robinson (or the British Executive Council if it is the Swiss model alternative) allowed full capacity in September.
 * There will be no safe standing, so the safe standing section will be converted into seating (as if it was a UEFA or FIFA match). Season ticket holders will be allowed in first and then will go on sale to the general public. VIP's or corporate people are not allowed in (except for the chairman, board of directors and owners of the home team), with corporate facilities shut down. (Formula - 60% x the capacity = revised capacity):


 * Seat coverings, typically emblazoned with club colours and motto/slogans along with a no room to racism will be placed in the away section
 * If the away section is on the same stand as the home fan, it'll be open for general sale for home fans to sit to allow social distancing.
 * Snooker and Golf tournaments will be played to no fans (behind closed doors). This is because fans have to be quiet out of respect for players and funds would not be hurt them when played to no fans. This was decided by World Snooker Federation and World Golf Series Federation upon agreement by players and approved by the Government.
 * Motor racing competitions across UK and Ireland was also held to no fans (behind closed doors). This was decided by FIA upon agreement by the racers and approved by the Government.
 * Only elite participants will allowed to compete in the 2020 London Marathon, the mass participation event was cancelled, there will be no ballot in 2021 as those that were going to compete in 2020 can compete in 2021 unless the individual pulls out for any reason.
 * The FA Cup Final 2020 was postponed to the 1st Saturday of September to allow all fans in and also so that it does not take place during the 'focus protection period'.
 * The Football League Trophy (Papa John's Trophy) Final 2020 was postponed until 27 March 2021 to allow fans in and also so that it does not take place during the 'focus protection period' with the 2021 Final postponed a week later
 * FA Trophy and FA Vase Final 2020 was rescheduled for 27 September 2020 to allow fans in and also so that it does not take place during the 'focus protection period'.
 * Race for Life 2020 was postponed to Autumn 2020
 * For the Wimbledon Tennis Championship; Centre Court can allow 9,000 fans in. No.1 Court can allow 7,407 fans in. No.2 Court 2,400 fans in and No.3 Court 1,200.
 * Principality Stadium can host 48,000 fans (24,000 fans for 2 clubs in neutral finals). Whilst Murrayfield can host 42,000 fans
 * 702 fans were allowed in the Lakeside Country Club, Firmley Green to watch the Lakeside Darts Championship. The Ericsson Exhibition Hall can allow 7,200.
 * Aintress Racecourse can allow 45,000 fans in for the Grand National.
 * Alexander Stadium in Birmingham can allow 24,000 fans in and Gateshead International Stadium can allow 7,080 in, both for athletics.
 * Greyhound racing was cancelled in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Greyhound racing is banned in Britain and Ireland. Greyhound racing and any other human racing events must be cancelled and venues hosting then must close

Premier League Revised capacity

 * 15,012 at Arsenal's East and West Stands.
 * 15,000 at Chelsea's both West and East Stands.
 * 6,250 at Crystal Palace's both West and East Stands.
 * 12,333 at Everton's Mersey Stand (West) and East Stands.
 * 8,705 at Fulham's Riverside Stand. 6,965 at the Johnny Hayes Stand.
 * 13,925 at Tottenham's both East and West Stands.
 * 5,000 at Watford's Sir Elton John Stand. 9,000 at Watford's Sir Graham Taylor Stand.
 * 8,500 at Swansea's Tawe Stand (East Stand) and West Stand
 * 15,000 at West Ham's West Stand, 5,000 at West Ham's Chicken Run (East Stand)
 * 6,000 at Wolves' Steve Bull Stand. 9,025 at Wolves' Billy Wright Stand

1 Will be complete in time for the 2021-22 season so the stadium was restricted to 19,359.

Indoor Arenas

 * All teams in the FA Women's Premier League agreed to end the season with immediate effect on 13 March 2020. The FA Board decided to award places on a points-per-game (PPG) basis, the 2020-21 (and 2021-22) season was also cancelled per agreement vote by all the teams. The FA Women's Cup will still happen.

Exercise Cygnus recommendation

 * 1) Exercise Cygnus revealed the need to develop a "Pandemic Concept of Operations" to bridge communication between organisations. This aims to manage collective response strategically by delegating specific roles to each organisation and directing their interactions during a pandemic. NHS England recognises that a variety of sectors are implicated, hence a central administration and unified protocol to oversee the whole strategy is required for organisations to work synonymously.
 * 2) The need for more precise protocols was identified to guide health care providers at an operational level should there be a need to drastically step up local response. A suggestion was to implement planning at a regional level as opposed to through local resilience forums for crucial aspects of pandemic influenza response (e.g., excess death). This improves coordination across multiple agencies locally. Logistically, more health workers and resources such as ventilators, personal protective equipment (PPE) and hospital beds are required to face a large pandemic. Investigation also showed that the reverse triage strategy proposed by the NHS, whereby patients are moved from hospitals to social care, may not be well supported by the current social care system. This requires a high level of teamwork across several corporations, which was detailed through a provided framework but may not be viable under the pressure and widespread impact of a pandemic. Local resilience forums have announced that they depend on subject matter experts for more complicated aspects of pandemic response to implement responses These professionals do not belong to LRF but give detailed technical support to enable colleagues to comprehend different elements of the response. The Strategic Coordinating Group (SRG) structure is used by experts for holistic contribution. Doubts were raised if this method was sustainable in the case of a fast-moving pandemic, since experts would have to aid more than one SRG.
 * 3) Exercise Cygnus was centred around assumptions of public responses that have yet to be validated. Expectations of how the public will react was postulated based on the magnitude of "swan flu". This may not have been entirely representative of what would have happened in real life. For example, Exercise Cygnus did not involve live broadcasting or widespread coverage which typically characterises an actual pandemic. Hence, its reactions are based around theoretical public reaction. This was identified and understood as a possible limitation to Exercise Cygnus, and the role of public opinion on pandemic response still requires further investigation. It was stated that in reality, moral decisions, such as those involving mass burials or population triage, may differ in face of public reaction. Further work is required to understand public reaction, so that it can be factored into significant decisions and communication strategies, particularly for ethically charged scenarios. Research into how public perception and response to a pandemic will further aid the trajectory of emergency strategies and how they can be communicated. In 2019, the Moral and Ethical Advisory Group (MEAG) was established to give unbiased guidance to government regarding controversial health issues.
 * 4) Corporations are required to update their "Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response training and exercising" for optimum performance
 * 5) Expert advice from all stakeholders should be readily presented to SCGs for corresponding response. This should occur efficiently so multiple LRFs can benefit from this support.
 * 6) Planning should occur on a national level, and take into account how local pandemic flu strategies can be operationalised in implementation.
 * 7) The health tripartite (DH, NHS England and PHE) and Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) should have Cobra Meetings incorporated into flu response
 * 8) More research needs to be done to investigate if population-based triage is viable during a critical, widespread influenza pandemic
 * 9) More work is required to understand surge arrangements when the pandemic becomes overwhelming. NHS England should direct the operational side while DH should give management, guidance and policy direction with advice from the Four Nations CMO meeting.
 * 10) DH should collaborate with partners to understand how antivirals may be used in a pandemic.
 * 11) PHE and NHS England must cooperate to improve current community guidelines and deliver antivirals within restrictions stipulated by NHS Emergency Preparedness staff.
 * 12) All corporations must be prepared for increased staff absence in the midst of a pandemic and make appropriate plans.
 * 13) Pandemic plans need to be effectively communicated to public for reassurance, and the right amount of detail of disclosed information should be ascertained.
 * 14) Steps to release information to public should be coordinated by DH, NHS England and PHE national teams together with Devolved Administrations
 * 15) A variety of stakeholders needs to be involved during communication of the pandemic to public. Special care is needed in the realm of social media.
 * 16) Cross-government efforts need to be conducted to avoid repetition and redundancy across departments.
 * 17) Department of Education should investigate the impact of school closures on the wider community.
 * 18) British Nationals residing overseas should be taken into account during an influenza.
 * 19) Ministry of Defence should be required to assist in the worst case scenario.
 * 20) The process and timeline of front line responders need to be made more precise.
 * 21) A framework for analysing social care and surge capacity needs to be established.
 * 22) The potential for increasing social care real-estate and staff numbers need to be examined.
 * 23) Strategies to allocate voluntary resources during a pandemic need to be developed with advice from non-health departments.
 * 24) Excess death management needs review.
 * 25) Pandemic contingency plans and procedures as a whole require more development.

Drug therapy and vaccine development
On April 7, the announced that the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine had successfully cultured and isolated the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in the lab. Britain was also to be one of the first 4 countries in the world to successfully isolated and cultured this. The achievement would allow quicker test results for nCoV, meaning thousands of samples could be tested a day, said the institute. It would also serve as a basis for the development of a vaccine against the virus. It was said that the virus causing COVID-19 has evolved into many branches. 3 branches have been recorded in the world. Britain recorded and isolated 2 different virus branches, 1 from patients returning from Wuhan in February and the other from patients returning from Europe in March.

Treatment
Anyone with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID were transported straight to a coronavirus ward, which are 'en-suite' room. The key method is to create a well-ventilated environment, do not use air conditioning and regularly disinfect. In addition, symptomatic treatment combined with physiotherapy and appropriate nutrition and psychological stability also greatly contributes.

Specific antiretroviral therapy are also being considered when sufficient evidence of effectiveness is available. To leave the hospital, patients need to have 2 consecutive negative samples of COVID-19 (both pharyngeal and pharyngeal fluid), taken at least 24 hours/test. After leaving the hospital, the patient must continue to isolated at home for another 14 days. The patient should be in a well-ventilated private room wearing mask, washing hand everyday, limiting contact with other family members and not to leave their house. Monitor body temperature 2 times/day, check again immediately if fever or other abnormal signs. The method of extracting plasma from cured people to treat severe patients is also considered.

Re-positive
Many COVID-19 cases reported positive tests after they were deemed to have recovered from the disease. This has happen in countries such as United States, South Korea and China. Dr. Oh Myoung-don, head of South Korea Central Clinical Committee for Emerging Disease Control rejected the possibility of "reinfection", assuming that the patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus, most likely due to "the testing kit collected RNA from the dead virus fragments, these may remain in the body for months".

The Minister of Health also agreed with the above opinion, saying that maybe the patient has not fully recovered during the treatment process so the virus has not been completely eliminated and still exists in the body, especially in lung mucous cells. According to the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College London, these patients are less likely to spread the disease.

Testing kit
As of 18 March 2020, Britain has produced at least two sets of COVID-19 test kits. On March 3, leader of the research team announced that they are completed the research and development of the SARS-CoV-2 detection kit, based on RT-PCR and realtime RT-PCR. 2 days later, the Government Office for Science and Techonlogy has announced the result of researching and manufacturing biological kit to detect novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) conducted by Defence Medical Academy and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

The kit has been tested for sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and repeatability at the lab of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Defence Medical Academy. The results show that the criteria are equivalent to the kit produced by the CDC and the World Health Organization. Independent testing at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, evaluating on patient samples, compatible with 5 types of common devices in medical facilities in the country, gives 100% accurate results in all of the test. The kit detection time is about 2 hours. 20 countries have ordered the test kit. The first 4 countries to be received are Malaysia, Iran, Finland and Ukraine, as of March 17, 2020.

Impact of COVID (not relate to Britain)

 * All educational facilities were closed worldwide except in Britain and Ireland. This meant all exams were cancelled and awarded using teacher's assessment. In Britain and Ireland a blend of in-school learning and online learning was used from April until July. Normal proceedings occurred from September.
 * All mass gatherings were banned worldwide except in Britain and Ireland.
 * Cinemas were closed worldwide except in Britain and Ireland. Many blockbusters originally scheduled to be released between March and November have been postponed or cancelled around the world, with film productions also halted. The Chinese film industry had lost US$2 billion by March 2020, having closed all its cinemas during the Lunar New Year period that sustains the industry across Asia. North America saw its lowest box office weekend since 1998 between March 13–15
 * Impact of COVID on sports

Companies closing down due to COVID-19 (not relate to Britain)

 * 1) 24 Hour Fitness
 * 2) ARMS
 * 3) Air Italy
 * 4) AirAsia Japan
 * 5) Allahabad Bank - Merged with Indian Bank
 * 6) Aleris - acquired by Hindalco Industries
 * 7) Allspark - Folded into Entertainment One
 * 8) Ambrella
 * 9) American Blue Ribbon Holdings (owns Bakers Square and Village Inn)
 * 10) Anbang Insurance Group
 * 11) Archegos Capital Management
 * 12) Art Van Furniture
 * 13) Ascena Retail Group (owns Ann Taylor, Cacique, Catherines, Lane Bryant, Lou & Grey, LOFT and JusticeArt Van Furniture)
 * 14) AtlasGlobal
 * 15) Aurora Bank
 * 16) Andhra Bank - Merged into the Union Bank of India
 * 17) Avianca Holdings
 * 18) Barneys New York
 * 19) Bankia - Merged into CaixaBank
 * 20) Bar Louie Restaurants
 * 21) Beamable
 * 22) Boomers! Parks
 * 23) Borden Dairy
 * 24) Brooks Brothers - assets purchased by Authentic Brands Group
 * 25) BuzzFeed UK and Australia
 * 26) Blue Sky Studios
 * 27) California Pizza Kitchen
 * 28) Cascade Mall -exterior-facing tenants will be able to continue to operate
 * 29) Century 21 department store
 * 30) Central Maine and Quebec Railway - acquired by Canadian Pacific Railway in June 2020
 * 31) Chikara (professional wrestling company)
 * 32) Chuck E. Cheese - Closed all brick-and-mortar stores, converted to online-only selling through food delivery services
 * 33) Corporation Bank - Merged into the Union Bank of India
 * 34) Connect Studio - Absorbed into Silver Link
 * 35) Così (restaurant)
 * 36) Christopher & Banks
 * 37) Compass Airlines
 * 38) Condor Airlines Balearics
 * 39) DavidsTea - Transitioned into e-commerce
 * 40) Dean Foods - Acquired by Dairy Farmers of America
 * 41) Dean & DeLuca
 * 42) Deltic Group UK (which owns Oceana, Pryzm, Atik, Eden and Bar & Beyond). Kuda Bar & Club. Fiction and Cameo closed down. 60% of the UK's nightclubs closed. All LGBTQ+ bars and nightclubs in Britain also closed down too.
 * 43) Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. - Merged to Inspire Brands
 * 44) Earth Fare - relocated and doing business in the UK only
 * 45) Ethiopian Mozambique Airlines
 * 46) ETI Finance
 * 47) En Masse Entertainment
 * 48) Essential Products
 * 49) Ernest Airlines
 * 50) Exide - Sold it's assets to Atlas Holdings
 * 51) Fairway Market - Awarded bids for 2 store leases in New Jersey to Amazon and 6 locations in New York City to ShopRite operator Village Super Market Inc. & Key Food Cooperative member Seven Seas Georgetowne LLC.
 * 52) FoodFirst Global Restaurants
 * 53) Fox 2000 Pictures
 * 54) Fry's Electronics
 * 55) German Airways
 * 56) Germanwings
 * 57) Goodrich Quality Theaters - Sold off to a few different companies with Mason Asset Management and Mark McSparin getting the bulk number of theaters (22).
 * 58) Gordmans
 * 59) Great Big Story
 * 60) HopCat
 * 61) Hornbeck Offshore Services
 * 62) IberiaBank - acquired by First Horizon
 * 63) Island Express Air - Sold its assets to a group of investors
 * 64) Jet Time airlines - Assets were also to be transferred to Jettime, including Jet Time's CEO, a number of key employees, and five of Jet Time's Boeing 737 aircraft, for operations planned to resume by 2022
 * 65) JetSuite - Rebrand as Superior Air Charter planned to resume by 2022
 * 66) Justice
 * 67) Kakao M - Merged with KakaoPage to form a new company, Kakao Entertainment.
 * 68) K&W Cafeterias
 * 69) Krystal restaurant - Closed all brick-and-mortar stores, converted to online-only selling through food delivery services
 * 70) LATAM Airlines Group
 * 71) Laurentian Media Group - Acquired by Village Media, with several of its key executives and staff taking new positions within the Village Media corporate structure
 * 72) Le Tote
 * 73) Legg Mason - Acquired by Franklin Templeton Investments
 * 74) Leone and L2
 * 75) Lord & Taylor - Assets purchased by Saadia Group to operate it as an online only business
 * 76) LSC Communications - Assets purchased by Atlas Holdings
 * 77) Loon LLC
 * 78) Lucky's Market - sold their stores to Aldi, Publix, Winn-Dixie, Hitchcock's Market and Seabra's Foods
 * 79) Mallinckrodt
 * 80) Marshall Broadcasting Group - assets purchased by Mission Broadcasting
 * 81) Metrocenter shopping mall - Remainings to be auctioned off
 * 82) Modell's Sporting Goods - Relaunch as an online retailer by a company called Retail Ecommerce Ventures. On August 4, 2020, Modell's intellectual property, including customer data and the marketing jingle was auctioned
 * 83) Muji USA
 * 84) Microsoft Store - Close all of its physical stores and transition to a digital-only model
 * 85) Miami Air International - Purchased by Caribbean Sun Airlines, Inc. (d/b/a World Atlantic Airlines), including all of its certificates and trademarks, in late May for $3.3 million during a recent bankruptcy auction. A "new" Miami Air would operate with the same aircraft type and employ the same key personnel as the bankrupt firm, as well as some new experienced employees.
 * 86) New York & Company
 * 87) NokScoot airlines
 * 88) Nordstrom - also many of its stores looted  during the George Floyd riots
 * 89) NPC International - Flynn Restaurant Group purchased 163 of NPC's former sites
 * 90) Nygård International - Dillard would buy parts of Nygard's inventory and Allison Daley's trademark and inventory. Nygard's Winnipeg warehouse was sold in late January 2021
 * 91) Oriental Bank of Commerce - Merged into Punjab National Bank
 * 92) One Airlines
 * 93) Ohana by Hawaiian - All of its fleet will be sold and existing employees working under Hawaiian will be reassigned elsewhere
 * 94) Ovintiv
 * 95) The Paper Store LLC
 * 96) Peebles (store)
 * 97) Peter Piper Pizza
 * 98) PVH clothing company
 * 99) Pier 1 (retail chain)
 * 100) PR Newswire
 * 101) Radio Disney
 * 102) Raytheon Company - Merged with United Technologies to form Raytheon Technologies
 * 103) Ravn Alaska
 * 104) Real Goods Solar
 * 105) Remington Arms and Remington Outdoor Company
 * 106) Ruby Tuesday (restaurant)
 * 107) Samba (Saudi Bank) - merged with National Commercial Bank to form Saudi National Bank on 1 April 2021
 * 108) Simon Property Group (all sold to Amazon and converted to Fulfillment house)
 * 109) SilkAir - Merged into Singapore Airlines
 * 110) Sizzler
 * 111) Star Theory Games
 * 112) Stein Mart
 * 113) Stockwell - Acquired by 365 Retail Markets
 * 114) Sur La Table
 * 115) SunExpress Deutschland airlines - Its route network will partially be taken over by SunExpress and Eurowings
 * 116) Sprint Corporation - Merged with T-Mobile US
 * 117) Syndicate Bank - merged into Canara Bank
 * 118) TAME airlines
 * 119) Tailored Brands
 * 120) TiVo Corporation - Merged with Xperi
 * 121) Town Sports International Holdings
 * 122) True Religion (clothing brand)
 * 123) Tucker's Marketplace
 * 124) Tuesday Morning
 * 125) Trans States Airlines
 * 126) Touchstone Television - Folded into 20th Television
 * 127) Typhoon Studios
 * 128) United Bank of India - Merged into Punjab National Bank
 * 129) United Technologies - Merged with Raytheon Corporation to form Raytheon Technologies
 * 130) Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International - Moved to Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution
 * 131) Wirecard
 * 132) Vivus
 * 133) Voat

Companies that filed for bankruptcy but did not disestablish

 * 1) Advantage Rent a Car
 * 2) Akorn
 * 3) Briggs & Stratton - Sold to KPS Capital Partners
 * 4) Boy Scouts of America - Originally over sex abuse lawsuits, COVID-19 worsen its finances
 * 5) California Resources Corporation
 * 6) Chesapeake Energy
 * 7) Clean Energy Collective
 * 8) CraftWorks Holdings
 * 9) Denbury Resources
 * 10) Daily Mirror UK - Cut 550 jobs
 * 11) Diamond Offshore Drilling
 * 12) Frontier Communications
 * 13) Fingerhut
 * 14) Garrett Motion - Sold to KPS Capital Partners
 * 15) Gold's Gym - Sold to Vitality Group. They're are now out of bankruptcy
 * 16) GNC (store) - Sold to Harbin Pharmaceutical Group
 * 17) The Guardian - Cut 180 job
 * 18) Hytera
 * 19) J. C. Penney - Sold to Brookfield Property Partners
 * 20) J.Crew - Sold to Amazon Inc. All US stores closed but UK stores are still open.
 * 21) Le Pain Quotidien - All of its stores (except for UK) closed down
 * 22) Libbey Incorporated
 * 23) Lucky Brand Jeans
 * 24) McClatchy
 * 25) McDermott International
 * 26) The Hertz Corporation
 * 27) The Lorenz Corporation
 * 28) Neiman Marcus
 * 29) Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg - Originally over sex abuse lawsuits, COVID-19 worsen its finances
 * 30) Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre - Originally over sex abuse lawsuits, COVID-19 worsen its finances
 * 31) Oasis Petroleum
 * 32) Whiting Petroleum Corporation
 * 33) Valaris plc