Britain sends £2.5million of PPE gear 5,000 miles round the world to St Helena – even though tiny island has NO cases of coronavirus
- Masks, gloves and gowns have been sent to the isolated island in Atlantic Ocean
- Comes amid warnings of crippling shortages of PPE within the NHS
- Two reports of people with symptoms on the island turned out to be false alarms
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Britain has sent £2.5million of PPE to isolated St Helena, even though no cases of coronavirus have been reported on the island.
The masks, gloves, gowns are expected to touch down in the Atlantic ocean island, which counts 4,300 inhabitants, today. It has also been reported five ventilators are on the flight.
It comes amid warnings of crippling shortages in the NHS that could leave doctors and nurses exposed to Covid-19 and patients without ventilators. More than 100 NHS workers have died since the outbreak began.
Below is Jamestown, the capital of St Helena. Emergency coronavirus supplies have also been sent to the Pitcairn islands and Tristan da Cunha
The UK has sent the PPE supplies to its territory St Helena. There were two feared cases on the island which turned out to be false alarms
A flight was chartered to the island from the UK via Accra, Ghana, following reports of two people with Covid-like symptoms, reports EuroWeekly, but this turned out to be a false alarm.
The residents self-isolated after experiencing a mild cough and headache but have since recovered, according to authorities.
Three suspected cases on nearby Ascension Island tested negative for the virus.
Anyone arriving on the islands will be quarantined for 14 days at Bradley camp next to the airport, the UK Foreign Office says, with food delivered to their doors and each allowed to exercise providing they keep a five metre distance from others.
It appears to be unlikely that coronavirus can reach the island, which has been virtually cut off after its weekly flights to South Africa were suspended.
Most voyages have also been suspended. Ships can sail the 2,000 mile journey from Cape Town to the isolated island in five days.
The island’s governor, Dr Philip Rushbrook, said that as they had a population with a ‘larger than normal number of older and less healthy people’ they would be taking additional precautions.
‘At times like these, it is crucial that we pull together as an island, using our good nature, compassion and resourcefulness for the greater good,’ he said.
Travellers arriving at the island will be quarantined for two weeks at Bradley Camp (pictured) next to the airport
Emergency coronavirus supplies are also being sent to neighbouring British overseas territories the Pitcairn Islands, with 50 residents, and Tristan da Cunha, with 250 residents.
Both have little contact with the outside world and, due to the pandemic, no one is allowed to disembark from yachts there.
It was only possible to reach St Helena by ship until 2017, when an airport allowing small planes to land opened.
UK deaths from coronavirus have now topped 20,000 as pressure continues to mount on the government to announce an exit strategy from lockdown.
Boris Johnson is expected back in Downing Street on Monday to lead a return to normal life in the UK.
Plans muted for the country have included a traffic lights system which would see some schools opening first before pubs are opened last.
The Welsh and Scottish government have published exit strategies. MailOnline has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.