The real warning to our government IMO was when the disease began to get out of control in Italy. That was the point when any thoughts that the disease might not spread much, if at all, beyond the far east should have been dispelled.
I know that it is easy for anyone to be a so-called armchair critic and I know that hindsight always gives 20/20 vision. However, the warning signs from China, Asia and Italy were evident for many weeks before the UK government first raised the alarm in this country. My guess is that having reached the UK in late January at the latest, it was probably spreading quite widely among communities in England and then elsewhere in the UK throughout February. Yet, we heard very little if anything from HMG at that time about the preparations they were making.
Originally Posted by: David M Porter