Health | Coronavirus: What's the risk in commuting?

This week alone, cases of the potentially deadly Covid-19 coronavirus have jumped from being in the 200’s to over double that.

With the Government facing calls to close schools and major businesses, events such as the London Marathon, Premier League football games, Rugby World Cup games are facing cancellation and other commercial events worldwide such as the famed SXSW festival in the US either cancelling completely or rescheduling, it seems inevitable that a large proportion of the UK population (around 20%, according to the Government’s own projections) face contracting the illness.

The case for self-isolation has been made by many senior officials such as Health Minister, Nadine Dorries, who herself has now contracted the virus, yet until widespread workplace closures take effect, many workers will still find themselves in close contact with other members of the general public. This may be on a commute, on business flights, in meetings or even simply entering the UK’s major cities, where the virus has spread faster.

So, what are the key risks when travelling? How liable are you to contract coronavirus when commuting to work?