Piers Morgan scolds Lisa Nandy for avoiding coronavirus medical advice - 'Why come here?'
PIERS MORGAN put Labour MP Lisa Nandy on the spot after the leadership candidate agreed to appear on ITV Good Morning Britain despite Government's advice urging unwell Britons to stay home amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Coronavirus: Lisa Nandy grilled for going on GMB with a cold
Piers Morgan challenged Lisa Nandy over her decision to appear on the Good Morning Britain while unwell despite the British Government suggesting people feeling unwell should start staying home amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Lisa Nandy appeared on the show with a red nose and slightly hoarse voice, prompting Mr Morgan to question her decision to attend the recording despite evidently being unwell. The Good Morning Britain host went as far as asking the Labour leadership candidate whether she had been "tested" for coronavirus, to which Ms Nandy hit back she is "fine" and jokingly suggested her state was the result of the lengthy leadership contest.
The GMB host said: "You haven’t got a cold, have you? Have you been tested with coronavirus?"
Ms Nandy insisted she was "not yet tested" saying: "I’m alright. I’m coronavirus-free – I’ve just got Labour leadership-itis."
The answer however did not appease Mr Morgan who hit back: "You’ve got a cold. Do we just take your word for it?"
Co-host Susanna Reid also questioned the decision, suggesting Ms Nandy's decision to appear signalled it would be difficult for the Government to keep Britons at home should there be a need to impose a widespread quarantine.
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Ms Reid said: "We’re laughing about it now, but yesterday the Government said that within 10 to 14 days the official advice will be, even if you have a mild cold, you’re going to be asked to self-isolate.
"The fact you are here today, and obviously that’s not official advice yet, is an indication that’s going to be really difficult."
The Labour leadership candidate insisted she did not have a cold but insisted Britons "should be following medical advice."
Ms Nandy said: "When the medical advice becomes, 'if you feel at all unwell, stay at home,' we need to have measures in place so that people can do that.
"I will do that but other people don't have the options that I have. If I do that, I'll still get paid."
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Fears of contagion have increased after Italy was put in complete lockdown after coronavirus cases rocketed to over 9,000 in the past few weeks.
The decision followed a move to quarantine the whole Lombardy region, home to six million people, as well as an additional 12 provinces in the neighbouring regions.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also announced a ban on gatherings in public places or outdoors due to coronavirus.
The new measures will be in effect from Tuesday morning, with the Prime Minister signing a decree immediately.
The British Government has urged for calm and insisted the battle plan to tackle the COVID-19 epidemic remains focused on delaying the spread of the disease.
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Meanwhile, a fifth person died in the UK from the coronavirus, as the number of infections jumped to 319.
The individual, who has not been named, died in St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, south London.
The woman, who was in her 70s, had underlying health problems.
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We can confirm that sadly, a patient in their seventies who was very unwell with a number of significant and long-term health conditions has passed away at St Helier Hospital.
"They had tested positive for COVID-19."