Big families are MORE at risk of coronavirus, experts warn

Big families are MORE at risk of coronavirus unless no-one leaves the house, experts warn – as Dame Helena Morrissey reveals she has 13 under one roof while Bruce Willis and ex-wife Demi Moore isolate in a group of eight

Dame Helena Morrissey, 54, is currently socially isolating in a household of 13
Chef Gordon Ramsay, 53, is also in lockdown with his family-of-seven in Cornwall
Dr Lisa Ackerley, of Royal Society for Public Health, told FEMAIL people living with multiple others where everyone is going out are more at risk of Covid-19
Shares tips for reducing chance of contracting the virus in busy households
Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID

Lockdown has brought unprecedented challenges for families across the UK.

Faced with the prospect of not seeing each other in the flesh for weeks on end, many have made the decision to assemble under one roof and isolate together.

Businesswoman Dame Helena Morrissey, 54, is currently socially isolating with her husband Richard, 56, and eight of their nine children, as well as daughter Florence’s partner and their two children, aged two and three months.

Along with Buddy the Cockerpoo, the family have decamped from West London to their second home in Berkshire.

Meanwhile Bruce Willis is quarantining in a group of eight as he stays in lockdown with his ex-wife Demi Moore, their three adult daughters, two of the daughters boyfriends, and Demi’s longtime assistant.

While these large wealthy families are lucky to have a more spacious retreat in which to see out their lockdown, health experts are warning that people who live in close proximity with multiple others are more likely to contract the virus due to an increased number of opportunities to come into contact with it.

First family: Bruce Willis CONTINUES to quarantine with ex Demi Moore as wife Emma Heming tends to his two young daughters; he is seen on Demi’s Instagram account on Monday

Dame Helena Morrisey pictured with her children Florence, 25, Tuppy, 22, Millie, 20, Clara, 19, Octavia, 17, Theo, 14, Cecily, 12 and Bea, 11, as well as her two grandchildren

Helena and her husband Richard have recorded a new podcast about their life, called Brit Family Morrissey

Dr Lisa Ackerley, of the Royal Society for Public Health, told FEMAIL that Britons living in packed households where everybody is going out are more at risk of catching Covid-19.

‘Imagine if you live in a really small place and it’s being subdivided into lots of bedrooms, and they all share their kitchen and bathroom, and they are still going about their jobs – they might still be working in the food industry, in factories, contractors, or for the NHS,’ she said.

‘A lot of people are still working and using public transport, and then they are coming back to houses where there are lots of people, sharing the same kitchen, bathroom and living areas. For those people the risk is very high.’

Lisa added that the risk is diminished if everyone stays in, works from home, has their shopping delivered and doesn’t go out at all.

Along with Buddy the Cockerpoo, the Morrisey family have decamped from West London to their second home in Berkshire

‘But if they are going out, even exercising, you could be touching things, you could be coming into closer contact than you want to with people – sometimes in a busy urban environment it’s difficult to get out of the way if people come too close to you,’ she explained.

‘There are a lot of things going on here that are going to affect people, but the people who are most at risk are those people in large households, shared houses, and who have lots of jobs going on in the same household.

‘I’m sure people like Gordon Ramsay will manage to keep himself and his family spaced out and be able to go on nice country walks and so on, not really putting each other at so much at risk.’

Gordon Ramsay’s clan (pictured) upped sticks from the capital to their £4million beachfront Cornish mansion for lockdown. Pictured with Megan, 22; twins Holly and Jack, 20; Tilly, 18, and son Oscar

Lisa recommended people living in large households should take additional hygiene precautions to protect themselves from the virus.

How to remain safe in a large household

Dr Selena Langdon shared her tips with FEMAIL:

1. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, with soap and hot water for 20 seconds, or use hand sanitiser if soap is not available

2. Always wash your hands when you get home or in from work if you have had to leave the house

3. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze

4. Put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands immediately afterwards

5. Ensure you have emphasised the importance of hand hygiene to children within your household

6. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces or objects, for example door handles, kettles, phones, game controllers, remotes, light switches, taps and toilet handles

7. Clean a shared bathroom each time you use it, for example by wiping the surfaces you have touched

8. Do not share towels, including hand towels and tea towels

9. Avoid sharing household items or eating utensils

10. Be mindful of using strong chemicals in enclosed spaces, as improperly used chemicals can cause eye or throat irritation or breathing problems

11. If the weather permits, open windows to increase ventilation

12. Leave shoes/clothing worn outside at the door

13. Wash skinned fruit and vegetables in detergent

14. Discard all packaging immediately (i.e. don’t transfer to the fridge/freezer/cupboards)

15. Wipe down all grocery packaging if you can’t dispose of it

16. Decontaminate everything you have touched if you have been outdoors, for example car keys, houses keys, wallet, purse, bank cards

17. Shower after all trips outside the house

18. Launder clothing worn outdoors frequently (at the highest possible temperature).

‘Leave your shoes and coats near the door, wash your hands as soon as you come in without touching anything else. Anything you have had to touch, go back and disinfect it,’ she said.

‘If you haven’t got disinfectant because you’ve ran out, don’t forget bleach is a good disinfectant. Dilute bleach is very effective at killing this virus; add 10 teaspoons to a 450ml jug of cold water. Use rubber gloves and do it in the sink in case of spillage. That solution is very effective – though pay attention to what it says on the bottle, some surfaces may not be suitable, and don’t use it on soft furnishings.

‘If you’re living in a household where there are lots of people, you need to increase the cleaning of frequently touched surfaces, such as kettle handles, fridge and kitchen cupboard handles, banisters, light switches.

‘If anyone shows symptoms they need to be isolated in their room. If they come out to use the toilet, they need to disinfect after themselves, or if they’re really ill, someone should go in afterwards to do it. If you’re sharing a household, work out a rota.’

Former GP Dr Selena Langdon, of Berkshire, also recommended washing skinned fruit and vegetables in detergent and discarding all packaging immediately, without transferring it to your fridge or cupboards.

Speaking in The Telegraph today, Dame Helena said her family is ‘adjusting’ to communal life, having rarely all lived in the same house before now as three children are currently studying at university and one is usually at boarding school.

Two are also married, with their eldest son Fitz, 28, socially isolating nearby with his wife.

‘We don’t lack company, it must be terrible for people who live alone,’ Helena told the publication.

‘I do have moments, when I’m wrestling with the laundry and I think, “But I’ve just done a huge mountain!” And the house is not immaculate, you reach the point of thinking, “I’m going to go mad if I trip over that again.”‘

Hotel heiress Irene Forte, the daughter of legendary Sir Rocco Forte, revealed she too is in isolation with the majority of her family this weekend, sharing a photo of eight of them to Instagram, tagging her location as ‘at home’.

The image featured her fiance Felix Winckler, her mother Aliai, brother Charles, sister Lydia and her husband Dimitri, as well as a woman called Georgie Wright.

She captioned her shot: ‘Our family is lucky enough to be in lockdown all together, but we’re thinking of those who cannot be with their loved ones this Easter. Looking forward to lighter times ahead, when everyone is reunited.’

Jamie Oliver also appears to be in social isolation with his five children and wife Jools. The family shared a video to Instagram of them clapping NHS frontline heroes last month.

Jamie Oliver also appears to be in social isolation with his five children and wife Jools. The family shared a video to Instagram of them clapping NHS frontline heroes last month

Last week they ensured daughter Daisy celebrated her 17th birthday in style, despite the fact she was unable to go out with her friends.

Another famous family currently in lockdown are the Radfords, who recently welcomed their 22nd child, Heidi.

Sue, 44, and husband Noel, 48, from Lancashire, met for the first time when Sue was seven, before going on to have their first child when Sue was 14 and Noel was 19.

The couple recently shared a photograph of their brood tucking into Domino’s pizzas and enjoying an afternoon of binge-watching Star Wars.

Sue also shared a photo of her first ‘home schooling’ class – with her nine ‘pupils’ busy working at their kitchen table.

Another famous family currently in lockdown are the Radfords, who recently welcomed their 22nd child, Heidi. The couple recently shared a photograph of their brood tucking into Domino’s pizza

Former Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona, 39, is also in lockdown with her five children. Earlier this month she shared her fears that she may have contract COVID-19 after suffering from a ‘dry cough and a sore throat’.

The singer said she and her daughter Molly, 18, have yet to be tested, but was left ‘frightened’ when a health specialist came to their house in ‘head to toe in scrubs and a mask’.

She explained in her new! magazine column: ‘We haven’t been tested, but the doctor says we need to be cautious, so no one’s leaving this house for the foreseeable.’

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