Britain’s over-70s will be told to self-isolate for four months even if they don’t have coronavirus symptoms, in a ‘wartime-style’ clampdown by the government.

The blanket quarantining of the elderly will likely be enforced in the next 20 days, according to ITV News’ political editor Robert Peston, as Boris Johnson turns efforts to tackle the UK’s outbreak up a notch.

The drastic measure is part of a wider package of emergency powers due to be announced by Downing Street, which includes banning mass gatherings and allowing the police to detain suspected virus victims’.

The government has made a u-turn on its strategy in recent days, after initially being reluctant to introduce social distancing measures to stop the spread of the virus. The World Health Organisation has criticised the UK’s approach, saying it needs to take tougher action to stop the spread of the disease.

The policy on quarantining the elderly comes as the country’s COVID-19 death rate almost doubled overnight as ten more people died, bringing the toll to 21.  

The prime minister, health secretary Matt Hancock, chief medical officer Dr Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance have put together a strategy to prevent the health service from ‘falling over’ and to save lives as Covid-19 becomes an epidemic in the UK.

Other measures understood to have been planned include:

• the forced requisitioning of hotels and other buildings as temporary hospitals;
• the requisitioning of private hospitals as emergency hospitals;
• temporary closure of pubs, bars and restaurants – some time after next weekend’s ban on mass gatherings;
• emergency manufacture by several companies of respirators that would be necessary to keep alive those who become acutely ill;
• the closure of schools for perhaps a few weeks, but with skeleton staff kept on to provide childcare for key workers in the NHS and police.

Boris Johnson has faced criticism from within his own party for being slow to act against the disease compared to the rest of Europe. Schools have already shut in most countries with Italy, Spain, France, Israel. Poland and Denmark among the growing list of countries on lockdown.

A senior government source denied being reluctant to make difficult or costly decisions, and said medical and scientific advisors say restrictive policies should be enforced at the optimal time in order to be effective. They are deeply worried that some older people will die at home from neglect if they are made to quarantine to early, so want to start the enforcement as late as possible – some time within the next five to 20 days.

Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock are counting on neighbours and friends to rally round to make sure no one is neglected. ‘We are looking for a huge community effort’ the source told ITV news.

The prime minister’s adviser, Dominic Cummings, has also initiated conversations with Uber and Deliveroo about taking food to the old and vulnerable when they are put into forced isolation.

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