Hospital patient accused of coughing in face of nurse while claiming to have coronavirus charged with common assault

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Covid-19 is highly infectious and spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when someone with the virus coughs, sneezes or speaks
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David Child3 April 2020
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A hospital patient has been charged with common assault after allegedly coughing in the face of an NHS nurse while claiming to have coronavirus.

Mark Payne, 45, was handed the charge after an incident in hospital on March 26 which saw a man repeatedly asked to cover his mouth by the emergency worker, Nottinghamshire Police said.

Inspector Christine Busuttil said: "Nottinghamshire Police takes assaults on emergency services workers extremely seriously and protecting the health of frontline NHS staff is extremely important during the current coronavirus pandemic."

Payne, of no fixed address, will appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Friday.

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News of the charge came after a spate of other incidents involving reports of people deliberately coughing at others, including NHS staff, in an attempt to frighten them as public anxiety grows amid the coronavirus outbreak.

People who are found guilty of deliberately coughing on emergency workers during the pandemic may face prison time.

Covid-19 is highly infectious and spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks.

The number of people to die in care in the UK after testing positive for the virus has meanwhile now spiralled to 2,921.

Department of Health figures published on Thursday revealed 163,194 people had been tested for Covid-19 nationwide as of 5pm on Wednesday, 33,718 of which have returned positive results.

The Government has set a target of carrying out 100,000 tests for coronavirus every day by the end of this month.

The goal, announced on Thursday by Mr Hancock, came amid a growing outcry over the lack of testing of NHS staff for coronavirus.

On Wednesday, there was capacity for 12,799 daily tests in England, but only 10,650 people were tested. The government's target by mid-April had been to carry out 25,000 tests per day.

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