Coronavirus outbreak could force parliament to shut down to stop spread of disease

Emergency discussions have taken place in Westminster over a possible shutdown of parliament if it becomes necessary to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Chief medical officer Chris Whitty briefed Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle on the risks on Monday this week, but no decision has yet been taken on whether to send MPs home.

And Boris Johnson suggested that an announcement could be made within days on possible alternatives to MPs gathering at Westminster, such as electronic voting and debates by conference call.

Ordering a halt to large gatherings - from football matches to concerts to parliament - is one option on offer to public health officials to prevent the spread of the illness if it becomes established in the UK.

But Prof Whitty cautioned that the move might have unintended consequences, as football fans barred from watching a match played behind closed doors might simply go and see it televised in a pub, where they could be at more risk of spreading the virus.

Prime minister Boris Johnson hinted that an announcement on the action to be taken over large gatherings of people could be expected within a matter of days.

At prime minister’s questions in the Commons, SNP MP Carol Monaghan asked him if MPs might be able to make use of electronic voting and conference calls, in order not to have to attend Westminster during the outbreak.

Mr Johnson replied: “She’s raised a very important point and the chief medical officer and the chief scientific adviser, together with the health secretary, will say a little bit more in the next couple of days about what we’re going to do to delay the advance of coronavirus in Parliament and at other large gatherings.”

The PM’s official spokesman later said: “Discussions are already taking place with parliamentary authorities and the scientific and medical advisers.

“I’m sure parliament will be led by the advice of experts in terms of taking the steps it needs in order to protect the people who work there.”

Speaker Hoyle’s office confirmed he had held talks with Prof Whitty and is being kept updated by the chief medical officer’s team and the clerk of the Commons.

With a large number of elderly peers in the House of Lords, parliament could be expected to be more vulnerable than the average workplace to coronavirus, which appears to be particularly dangerous to older and frailer patients.

A parliamentary spokesman said: “We are monitoring the situation closely and continue to work with the Department for Health and Public Health England.

"We have taken a range of precautionary measures including placing information posters across the parliamentary estate encouraging thorough hand-washing. We have been reassured by Public Health England that the steps we are taking to reduce the risk of transmission are proportionate and reasonable.”