UK nurses spat at, called 'disease spreaders' amid COVID-19 pandemic

London, March 22
Hard working nurses battling the UKs coronavirus outbreak were facing abuses on the streets, including some being spat at while others said that they were branded "disease spreaders" for treating infected patients, according to the Royal College of Nursing.

The trade union's director of policy Susan Masters said on Saturday that several National Health Services (NHS) staff had reported incidents on confidential forms and called for such "abhorrent behaviour" to stop, the Metro newspaper quoted her as saying to the media.

"Nurses are running towards the fire to provide the care the communities need," she said, adding: "They are going in to see patients and caring for them when everyone else is keeping their distance. The public need to understand that nurses are socially critical and right now society needs us more than ever."

England's Chief Nurse Ruth May has also said she has heard similar reports of staff being spat at.

Sharing a video on Facebook last week, a nurse said she was coming out of the train station on the way to work when a couple physically and verbally abused her.

Medics were calling for members of the public to show support for "socially critical" doctors and nurses who are needed more than ever in such an unprecedented time for the country, said the Metro newspaper report.

The latest official figures showed the number of people across the UK who have died due to the coronavirus has increased to 233, with 53 more fatalities reported on Saturday in England, two in Wales and one in Scotland.

The number of confirmed cases stood at 5,067.