Coronavirus: UK conference delegates contacted as precaution

Around 250 delegates who attended a transport conference at London’s QEII Centre have been contacted by health officials after it emerged one of the attendees has subsequently been diagnosed with coronavirus. The unidentified person was at the UK Bus Summit at the QEII Centre, Westminster, 6 February. Dr Yimmy Chow from Public Health England said the delegates had been informed as a precaution. The BBC reports that Transport Times, the organiser of the conference, emailed delegates on Thursday informing them that a person confirmed to have coronavirus had been at the event. The email included advice from PHE urging delegates that no action was needed if they felt well, but if they developed symptoms such as a fever or cough they should stay indoors, avoid contact with others and call NHS 111. The BBC says the email told people to follow the advice until 20 February, “even if your symptoms are minor”. Dr Chow, a PHE consultant in health protection, told the BBC: “While the degree of contact conference delegates may have had with the case is unlikely to have been significant, we have taken a precautionary approach and informed them of the situation.”