Dr Gabriel Scally, president of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, has said it was deeply disturbing that the British government was "flying blind" and embarking on "a foolish experiment" in its approach to coronavirus.
The British government must get ahead of the curve and at present it was “trailing far behind,” he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
There is no reason why the UK had departed from accepted international practice and advice about coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, and that of the World Health Organisation, he said.
Dr Scally said there had been considerable delay in implementing effective social distancing measures in the UK and that the crowds seen at Glendalough last weekend were “nothing” compared to the crowds seen at flower markets in London.
Wuhan
All the reports coming from London showed that a situation like Wuhan, where a six-week lockdown was implemented, looked very likely to happen, he warned.
The UK has 5,683 cases of the virus and the death toll has reached 281.
Dr Scally said the fight must be taken to the virus and it cannot be allowed spread like wildfire across the country.
On Monday, the UK goverment sent in the army to deliver protective equipment to hospitals on Monday and told people to stay at home and heed warnings over social distancing or the government would bring in more extreme measures to stop the coronavirus spread.