Latest figures from Public Health England show that there are no new confirmed cases of coronavirus on the Isle of Wight tonight (Saturday).
As of 09:00 on 21st March 2020, 5,018 people have been confirmed as having coronavirus. 233 patients have died nationally to date, including at least 4 elderly patients at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
On the Island, the number of confirmed cases holds strong at just 2. It is thought that 1 person has been transferred off the Island, reducing the number of cases locally from 3 to 2 for ‘administrative’ reasons.
The first case on the Island was announced on 7th March, followed by a second just a week later. A third case was confirmed on 17th March.
Earlier this week Ventnor Spiritualist Church reported that someone who was present at their Sunday service on 15th March had tested positive, however, the figures don’t reflect this. The church is now closed and those present on Sunday are self-isolating.
The Island has been hit hard by event cancellations and postponements this week including Walk the Wight, IoW Randonnee and Sandown Sprint. Local supermarkets are feeling the impact and schools are now closed for the majority of students. It was announced on Friday that all restaurants, pubs, gyms and similar establishments must close until further notice.
For the latest information on coronavirus here on the Isle of Wight visit https://www.islandecho.co.uk/category/coronavirus/.
Symptoms of coronavirus
The symptoms of coronavirus are:
- a high temperature
- a cough
- shortness of breath
The symptoms are similar to other illnesses that are much more common, such as cold and flu. Research shows it takes, on average, around 5 days for symptoms to start showing.
If you are worried that you might have coronavirus
- Stay indoors and avoid close contact with other people, especially older or vulnerable people
- Call NHS 111 or use the online service https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19 – you will be asked questions and given advice
- You should not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or St Mary’s Hospital without checking with NHS 111
How to avoid catching or spreading coronavirus
Do
- wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
- always wash your hands when you get home or into work
- use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
- cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
- put used tissues in the bin straight away and wash your hands afterwards
- try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell
Don’t
- do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean
Latest national news states that police forces in a number of ‘holiday’ type locations e.g. the Lake District and Cornwall are making announcements to the rest of the country – ‘Don’t come here – being off work with children off school isn’t, (under the circumstances) an excuse for a holiday – you should be restricting your travel as advised by the Government’.
This type of advice should apply equally to the Isle of Wight in my opinion.
Totally agree
Island should be locked down while we are relatively virus free.
Only freight allowed no passengers at all,.
But I’m sure the ferry companies wouldn’t like that would they?
Will not stay that way if people continue to act as if nothing is wrong. If you look at the graphs the growth rate is the same as it was for Italy two weeks ago. Today Italy had 793 deaths today. That is 1 every three minutes! I live near a main road, seing grandparents taking children for a walk and people coming back from shopping in Newport with bags of cloths and flowers for mum is NOT how we beat this. If you do not need to shop for food or medicine do the right thing and stay in! Look at the figures for yourself. The island will not coupe with an outbreak! Think of others and not just yourself. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
Totally agree with you
Bit false? Are only hospitalised people reported? Those who self isolate with the illness not counted. Is that right?
Yes that is correct. If you think you have it your are expected to phone 111. But I very much doubt that would result in a test.
I think it’s time to shut the ferries down apart from supply loads. Keep it out.
Simply not true. There are 18 cases that have been transferred from tbe IOW to the mainland masking the numbers.
Do you have evidence of that? If that is true it is shocking.
This isn’t true. There are many more cases than this. Ask someone you know at the hospital. They’ll tell you. That’s all I’m prepared to say.
My husband works at the hospital and there has been 3 cases, 1 taken off the island.
Can we all send a message to bob seely to deal with the ferries and only have essential travel as with Easter coming up this will not stay like it is for long. Look in the news today at Skegness etc they are blatantly disregarding the government advice to practice social distancing and this will be the case here if we don’t act now. Keep our island as safe as we can . There’s no point in coming here on holiday nothing is open. Essential travel only. The more messages he gets the better. We have to look after each other.
Will do Smithy, not sure if they will respond to the email. Will use the title “ferries MUST only have essential travel”
I Have sent this letter to Bob Seely:
We all need to take this covid-19 VERY SERIOUSLY and protect our island residents. Lets Quarantine our island now. Wightlink and red funnel ferries should stop with immediate effect, all unnecessary travel for everyone apart from our emergency services, deliveries of fuel, food and medical supplies. Parcels should be consolidated on one royal mail lorry each morning at Portsmouth, regardless of couriers. We are hardly getting many visitors over anyway with what’s going on. Easter is coming up and is all but cancelled for most, what fun is to be had?. With everthing now closed very few visitors are contributing to the island economy anyway.
To Bob Seely, This must happen now, otherwise this is all going to end in tears. Please, for the sake of our residents, make this happen. Thank You.
Muppet
This is wonderful news but we obviously cannot become complacent when we see what is going on elsewhere in such drastic numbers.
The thoughts of others commenting over the past days on the Echo must surely be heeded when it comes to taking extreme measures to protect our precious Island and its’ people,especially the many older groups and seriously consider isolating us just as we are supposed to be doing as individuals every day…..isolate the entire Isle of Wight and allow the necessary transit of mail,food etc. only to the Island.
Maybe there can be some kind of measures taken in ensuring that unnecessary travel in the form of hordes of holidaymakers or escapees from more risky areas can be curtailed.
As for the very idea of the Isle of Wight Festival and similar gatherings this year….what planet are these people on??…One governed entirely where money matters above all else it would seem.
All thoughts must go into saving the loyal,loving population of this beautiful Island and that is from the babies to those who have cherished being here into their hair-has-become- silver years.
Money has ruled and ruined so much on this planet of ours’ with so much greed destroying so much that is beautiful; let that not be the epitaph of this seemingly so far relatively unscathed Island in this most dreadful time we now all are living through.
This worries me because people will now think it’s safe to socially mix
So the church is lying? Bit harsh.
Been that way ever since the Christians slaughtered and “converted” native Pagans Europe wide….
That’s good let’s keep it that way.
Only problem is all the Dfts are coming over to there holiday homes!!! Not good
I know someone who has to work. They said Newport on Saturday was full of shoppers, and not food shopping.
So how many have been tested ?
Why are we still letting Hoilday makers over ?
Thank God for small mercies
If we work together as an island and not as individuals we can keep the cv at bay…we’ve had 4 cases in 7 weeks good going for and island.
….. OH AND LETS STOP PANIC BUYING …….
Very good news we only officially have only 2 cases of CV on the island. Let’s hope this is correct. I urged islanders to contact Bob Seely yesterday to bring to his attention the need to isolate the island to stop holiday makers coming over and POTENTIALLY bringing the virus here. Of course the ferries would still bring all the necessary supplies for us islanders so no need to panic. Great news, Mr Seely is going to discuss this in parliament next week, so he must have had a large response from islanders letting him know our concerns. I cannot believe hotels were not ordered to close! Reports of some hotels with many guests still occupying their premises. We are lucky, we have the Solent between the island and the mainland, some don’t like it, but in these difficult times let’s use it to our advantage. Stay safe everyone, help any elderly neighbors if they need it.
I don’t know how they can say this because if you think you have it you have to self isolate you don’t get tested. so could be 300 people self isolating on the island that actually have it.
@Ben
think it is more than that — the number of people I know, that have suddenly got mild colds, runny noses, very slightly sore throats and aren’t feeling 100% is no coincidence and more than I would normally hear of towards the end of march.
None are self isolating in that sense and still go out to buy food in the crowded supermarkets, touching produce and using public transport.
Some have already recovered from about a week to ten days worth of feeling like crap, yet never called 111, never spoke to a Dr and and just carried on working, shopping, socialising and doing regular stuff.
This virus is far more widespread than admitted and locking society down, is a token gesture now, at best.
The fear and worry, that the media is spreading is moving quicker than this virus and people seem to be abandoning basic standards in favour of knee jerk reactions.
One thing though- the more you hide away, the less immunity you will have and when you come out of your cocoon, the virus may be waiting for you, no matter how long that takes.
I would like to know if it is possible to help the nhs on the island I am an ex nurse but fall outside of the 3 years out of practice so cannot return to help. I am sitting at home wasting my skills
Council needs to organise something where people like yourself who are able to help and wish too can help the ones who can not. I have to self isolate for 12 weeks now. 🙁 Would rather be doing something to help.
Let’s keep it that way, I notice the DFL’s are Fleeing London GREAT!!!!!!!! Close the ferries to everything apart from freight and essential travel please !
Why are parkdean resorts still bringing coachloads over
Because there greedy b+st”rds who of which do not care about people. Money money money.
My grandson took his family to Nodes point for the weekend. Nothing was open there, no swimming pool or cabaret, everything there was closed. Which is good. Why doesn’t Nodes Point close down completely, it is sheer greed.
this number of ‘confirmed’ cases is lulling Islanders into a false sense of security. folks who have symptoms, who are self-isolating, are not counted. while it is good that our hospital is not overwhelmed, we cannot afford to be complacent.
Would just like to raise a question. I have just been for a walk in Rylstone Gardens in Shanklin. I am practising social distancing so keeping well away from other people but most of the people in there were dog walkers, some with dogs off the lead. Dogs being dogs they have very close contact with each other. Is this an infection control risk to the owners? Surely it would be more sensible to keep pets on a lead at the moment.
I totally agree, well said Tricia. I have wrote to Bob Seely. see my reply to comments from smithy.
If you’re not aware, the I.O.W. tourist website is right now, actively encouraging people to visit the island on their ‘coronavirus advice’ page of the website – have a look for yourself: https://www.visitisleofwight.co.uk/travel/coronavirus-information
On that page it says (in bold type): ‘Holiday visitors and locals continue to enjoy our Island’s beautiful scenery and warm hospitality, and we look forward to welcoming you whenever you choose to visit.’
So this advice web page lists all the current Government advice and then lists all the ways how, and reasons to travel here…
If that wasn’t irresponsible enough, their facebook page says nothing to discourage visiting/non-essential travel (there are couple of low-key mentions of cancelled events, that’s all).
The I.O.W. tourism boss has said in the local papers that as the chief marketing tool of I.O.W. businesses he will do all in his power to keep things going. This is a conflict of interests – businesses v islanders’ health & safety. I completely understand the predicament of island businesses, but this situation is temporary – you can get a business back up on its feet again, but can’t get back a loved one who dies prematurely because we don’t follow the current rules on social distancing and encourage 1000’s of visitors. Shut down the island until this all blows over.
Others are doing it and we should to – it’s not ‘wrong’ and it’s not ‘overkill’ – it’s a temporary measure to protect the NHS and vulnerable people here on the island:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-51994504
This is not a time for partying I hope some of the scenes coming from the mainland are not being replicated here. We need to distance it may only be a few weeks and we can beat it . Ferries should be solely for freight and medical reasons there are no other needs to be travelling that are sufficiently important to put your life the lives of your family and friends and you community at risk … this is not only killing the old and the infirm it’s a killer that does not recognise age or borders . Wake up people we are 2 weeks behind Italy and we are acting like idiots
I always knew the Umbrella Corporation was Chinese
ryde esplanade this morning looks like a normal day – the souvenir shop at the entrance to the pier is open and all its tat outside, elderly people sat on benches and taking walks. Elderly people pulling suitcases after coming off the ferries and going to the ferries. People at the bus stops with no shopping bags, cyclists riding around in lycra, countless runners in lycra and families with little kids on bikes wandering around.
No one gives a shit, especially all these old people who were told to stay in and will be up st marys whining later on.
Will somebody tell the ferry companies to stop all camper vans. Scotland is having trouble with people camping at ‘isolated areas’, they will still need to stock up and use the medical facilities
When is the Island going into SHUT DOWN. We have only 2 cases, let us try to keep it that way. Sooner rather than later. Essential workers will still have to travel but the ferries will just have transport for essential food, hospital equipment, fuel and other necessities. Also please tell me that the festival will be cancelled eventually.
There are petitions going round the island for SHUT DOWN.. People want this to happen and NOW.
Considering the calls the hub at St Mary’s are dealing with, along with mixed reporting by the trust, The figures are as genuine as the response times the ambulance service used to report before they got caught fiddling the figures.
We only have 3 cases of the virus and one of them has been shipped over to Portsmouth, so why are the greedy selfish citizens of the island still stripping the shelves bare? Don’t they realise that these supermarkets have deliveries every couple of days so there is no need to go mad as there would be enough food for all.
The only thing that concerns me is that there are NO delivery slots available in any of the supermarkets for high risk people, take Tesco’s Ryde as an example, ALL the delivery slots between now and the 11th April have gone which means people like me who are vulnerable (i am over 70) & now HAVE to go out to shop and hope I don’t bring the virus home to my wife who has a liver complaint and would probably not survive if she contracted it. This all means that able bodied people who can go out are being lazy and inconsiderate and shutting out those most venerable from getting deliveries.
I also agree that the ferries should be shut down except for deliveries and that would put a stop to the coach parties. While I appreciate stopping the holiday traffic is not good for the economy of the island do we really want to put our island at risk? Especially when there won’t be anything open for them.
Only 3 confirmed what about all the people that have contacted 111 with symptoms and been told to self isolate so we don’t really know how many on the island have the corona virus do we
Well I can see the numbers rising now. Sat down Ryde seafront watching people stop and sit outside the Big Kahuna and the seafront puckpool cafe. Am I seriously seeing this happen when we ‘re supposed to trying to stop this virus. Maybe I’m being paranoid or I got the government warnings all wrong.
.True caulk head: “Sat down Ryde seafront watching people stop and sit … Am I seriously seeing this happen”
Erm… Criticising people for doing what you’re doing? Pot, kettle, black?
Daemy……..
We were sat in our car, not walking around and sat next to people spreading the virus.
Bless you for your reply and highlighting the fact I didn’t put car in my message.
Daemy….
Bless you and thank you for highlighting the fact I did not put that we were sat in our car watching hundreds of people walking, sitting down outside cafe’s possibly contaminating others with this dreadful virus.
I don’t mean to bring you down off your high horse while beaming with the fact you were criticising my message.
I will endeavour to put the full facts in my next comment and not miss out such trivial facts compared to the fact that people are not taking this life threatening virus seriously and could infect yours or my loved ones and kill them.
Why are you not practicing what you preach you idiot.
Lots of people on Apply beach. Here is the live web cam, see for your self. https://isleofwightwebcams.co.uk/appley-beach/
People are out along the sea fronts and a pub along Shanklin is open and busy! So lockdown for us!
Wait till some 50k soap dodging virus carrying people arrive for the festival…
I can’t believe it has not been cancelled yet, when others have for people’s health.
I suppose Mr Giddings thinks more about his wealth, than others health.
There were people in Seaview yesterday who have come down to stay in their holiday homes. They were jogging along as usual as though nothing was happening to worry about.
What bothers me more though is the selfish people emptying the shops. Most of these people must have vehicles with them to load all the stuff into, unlike someone like me who has to walk to the shops or get a bus. Some woman said on radio 4 yesterday “stop calling people selfish for stockpiling, they’re not selfish they’re scared”. Well, I would say to her, WE ARE ALL SCARED, AND EVEN MORE SO BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE HER BUYING UP EVERYTHING AND LEAVING NOTHING FOR US! It’s funny how someone guilty of something , when called to account for it, tries to make others feel guilty for daring to mention it.
Don’t even get me started on the usual lowlife scummy drunken types littering up the High Street in Ryde yesterday, stocking up on their bottles of booze and shouting and swearing as they all jostled together lurching up the road and not caring how close they came to anyone in their way, and before the idiot who commented last week on here, (Alan?) goes on about them being “war veterans” with PTSD, No, they are not war veterans and certainly not the foul mouthed female specimen among them, and if anyone else wants to make excuses for this lowlife with oh poor things they must have had disadvantaged childhoods, etc, etc, well I grew up in a poverty stricken household and was living on just one slice of bread a day at sixteen, and have had to go without most of the little ‘luxuries’ that others take for granted, so please, no more of the puerile ‘boomer’ comments, because we are not all wealthy, had it good,, some of us have had it damn hard, but have not made the same choices to go down the drink and drugs route that many do, and for some reason that makes us less worthy in the eyes of the do-gooders who only care about druggies and alkies and never want to hear one word against them, no matter what they do.
Okay, rant over, but it is frightening, the government have said today keep 2 metres away from everyone wherever we are, but how can we when you get the less responsible types who don’t give a damn about anyone as long as they can get their booze and cigarettes, come up close to you and get aggressive when you try to get away from them. Horrible people, but oh no we mustn’t complain about them or we are not very nice people.
Apparently we can’t even think that fresh air is safe, so the stress of trying to keep this distance between ourselves and other people is only going to be effective as long as everyone else is mindful of it too, but we can’t control what these useless wastes of space do, that for some reason some people seem to think are more important than anyone else.
@worried…….your comment…certainly not the foul mouthed female specimen among them
yep, i have seen that foul mouthed, low life outside co op and boots in ryde most days, swilling down booze and arguing with some other deadbeat over a couple of quid and some roll ups. It makes no effort to sort itself out and is just a burden on society.
last thing i heard it shouting was, to someone going into boots to get it some pills or something – effing loser.
To Worried. Calm down, dear. Don’t worry about what others are doing. We all have different ways of dealing with this crisis. Just look after yourself
A bit difficult to look after oneself when the lowlife are everywhere trying to barge into one. Not everybody is quick enough to be able to dodge them. And please don’t start with the oh but this is their way of coping. ~ THEY ARE ALWAYS LIKE THAT, it is the same ones as are always littering up the town, long before this awful thing started, and the group of young lowlife congregated outside of the Co- op in the square in Ryde, yesterday openly deriding older people and laughing at them with contempt,, well I did ignore them, but people can feel threatened and alarmed, That particular nasty little group seemed resentful , maybe they think all the restrictions are ‘just’ to protect older people who they seem to think should just shove off and die anyway, that was the definite impression they were giving as their vitriol was being directed to anyone they saw who was obviously getting on a bit .
Plus, walking home last night and attempting to keep out of the way of everyone, not hard as no one about, until two people who had been lurking round a corner smoking weed, one looked at me and coughed four times right towards my face, which seemed to be done deliberately.
How on earth is one supposed to keep oneself safe from this sort of thing?
” living on just one slice of bread a day ”
Bloody luxury…. We used to live in hole int’ road with tarpaulin cover, & eat handful o’ gravel for breakfast before Workin 36 hour day down t’ pit
& We was lucky!
As i have said on many occasions the hospital has been treating the virus symptoms since November. As people are mainly tested when reaching the hospitals it means there are dozens on the Island with it.How many people do you know that
have been talking about having a problem a few months ago thinking it was flu?
Such a small number of ITU beds (6 ordinarily), with ventilators at St Mary’s, so why do people think coming here from the mainland is escaping the situation? I’d say you have just gone from the ‘frying pan into the fire’.
I totally agree with the suggestions that the ferries should only carry freight. Why do mainlanders with second homes think they have the right to self isolate where they choose, they are just being selfish. Come on Bob Seeley, protect the Island and its inhabitants.
I was at the petrol station today and I saw people with petrol cans stocking up. Why? If we go on lock down, there will be no where to go.
This pandemic is being underplayed on the island. No one gets tested unless they have been overseas and have symptoms. Nursing staff have not got proper masks only paper ones that last 5 minutes. A factory has offered the government proper safety masks but were told we don’t need them. They are sending thousands to many countries abroad and have thousands available for us but still not requested. This was on tv this am!! Where is the protection for key workers. Your child is in nursery with other key worker children, the supermarket girls at the till are sat 2 ft away from everyone that comes in. They touch the shopping, touch the money, get abuse from people as the shelves are empty, get coughed and sneezed on all the time and have no masks or ability to even move away. This country should be ashamed.
As for all old people getting on line shopping is impossible. People on low incomes can only shop weekly and can’t get deliveries and are supposed to stay in. TAKE a this SERIOUSLY or be one of the statistics.
Why are people being so utterly selfish.
The true number of infected, carriers, inpatients, transferred or deceased must be made public if we are to have any hope of saving more people.
None confirmed but plenty suspected as I unfortunately am one