Daughter of Sergei Skripal said to be improving rapidly while former spy remains critical after nerve agent poisoning 
 
 The condition of Yulia Skripal, who was poisoned with a nerve agent in Salisbury along with her father, is improving rapidly, doctors have said. 
 
 Salisbury NHS foundation trust said on Thursday the 33-year-old was no longer in a critical condition, describing her medical state as stable. 
 
 Christine Blanshard, the medical director for Salisbury district hospital, said: “I’m pleased to be able to report an improvement in the condition of Yulia Skripal. She has responded well to treatment but continues to receive expert clinical care 24 hours a day. 
 
 
 
 “I want to take this opportunity to once again thank the staff of Salisbury district hospital for delivering such high-quality care to these patients over the last few weeks. I am very proud both of our frontline staff and all those who support them.” 
 
 Her father’s condition was described by the hospital as still critical but stable. Sergei Skripal, 66, a former Russian double agent, is believed to have been the main target of the attack. 
 
 The update came as Russia said it was taking tit-for-tat measures against all the nations that have expelled Russian diplomats over the attack. 
 
 In a separate development, Scotland Yard said police had placed a cordon around a children’s play area near Sergei Skripal’s home as a precautionary measure. 
 
 “Officers investigating the attempted murders of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal are continuing to focus their enquiries around the Skripals’ home address,” a police statement revealed. 
 
 
 
 “As a precautionary measure, they have this afternoon placed a cordon around a children’s play area at Montgomery Gardens, near the Skripals’ home.” 
 
 Deputy assistant commissioner Dean Haydon said: “I would like to reassure residents that we have placed the cordons around the park, and officers will be searching it, as a precautionary measure. I would like to reiterate Public Health England’s advice that the risk to the public is low.” 
 
 Detectives said they believed the pair were poisoned with the nerve agent novichok, which had been smeared on Sergei Skripal’s front door. 
 
 Novichok: nerve agent produced at only one site in Russia, says expert Read more 
 
 At least 130 people could have been exposed to the chemical weapon in the aftermath of the poisoning, responsibility for which the UK government believes lies with the Russian state. 
 
 Recent interviews with Sergei Skripal’s niece in Russia had suggested there was little chance of either of them recovering. 
 
 
 
 Viktoria Skripal told the BBC: “Out of 99% I have maybe 1% of hope. Whatever it was has given them a very small chance of survival. But they’re going to be invalids for the rest of their lives.” 
 
 
 
 She also revealed that Skripal’s mother had not been told of the incident, adding: “The first priority was to protect our granny so that she wouldn’t hear or find out anything.” 
 
 About 250 counter-terrorism detectives continue to work around the clock on the investigation, which is expected to continue for months. 
 
 
 
 Officers are examining more than 5,000 hours of CCTV footage and 1,350 exhibits that have been seized, while 500 witnesses have been identified. 
 
 
 
 The London Road cemetery, where Skripal’s wife and son are buried, the Maltings shopping centre and the Ashley Wood compound have been handed back into the control of Wiltshire police. 
 
 Britain has accused Russia of being behind the poisoning – allegations fiercely denied by Moscow. 
 
 At least 26 countries have expelled Russian diplomats expelling diplomats suspected of being spies. The latest country to join in the coordinated action was Georgia, which said it “condemns the use of chemical weapons on the territory of the United Kingdom”. 
 
 Novichuk works by attacking the nervous system, preventing chemical messages being transmitted around the body. It causes the heart to slow and airways to become constricted. 
 
 Wiltshire police detective Sgt Nick Bailey, who was also exposed to the nerve agent, was discharged from the hospital last week. ||||| Image copyright EPA/ Yulia Skripal/Facebook Image caption Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33 were poisoned by a nerve agent called Novichok 
 
 Yulia Skripal, the daughter of ex-spy Sergei Skripal, is improving rapidly and no longer in a critical condition, says the hospital treating her. 
 
 She and her father were admitted nearly four weeks ago after being exposed to a nerve agent in Salisbury. 
 
 The BBC understands from separate sources that Ms Skripal is conscious and talking. 
 
 However Mr Skripal remains in a critical but stable condition, Salisbury District Hospital said. 
 
 Doctors said Ms Skripal, "has responded well to treatment but continues to receive expert clinical care 24 hours a day". 
 
 "I want to take this opportunity to once again thank the staff of Salisbury District Hospital for delivering such high quality care to these patients over the last few weeks," said Dr Christine Blanshard, Medical Director for Salisbury District Hospital. 
 
 "I am very proud both of our front-line staff and all those who support them." 
 
 BBC correspondent Duncan Kennedy says a corner appears to have been turned for Yulia Skripal, who is now in a stable condition. 
 
 However there is no news on what the long-term damage might be, he adds. 
 
 Meanwhile the police have placed cordons round a children's play area at Montgomery Gardens near Mr Skripal's home. 
 
 "Officers will be searching it as a precautionary measure," said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon. 
 
 The Skripals were admitted to hospital on 4 March after being found collapsed on a bench at the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury. 
 
 Police have been treating the case as attempted murder. 
 
 On Wednesday, police said the Skripals first came into contact with the nerve agent at the former Russian spy's home in Salisbury. 
 
 Image copyright EPA Image caption Police stand outside the house believed to be the home of Sergei Skripal 
 
 Forensic tests show the highest concentration was found on the front door. 
 
 The nerve agent was found at other locations in the town but in lower concentrations, the Metropolitan Police said. 
 
 A police officer who fell seriously ill after responding to the attack - Det Sgt Nick Bailey - was treated in hospital but was discharged on 22 March. 
 
 DS Bailey, who is believed to have visited Mr Skripal's house after the incident has spoken of his ordeal, saying: "Normal life for me will probably never be the same." 
 
 The British government has accused the Russian state of involvement in the attack - a claim Moscow has denied. 
 
 Prime Minister Theresa May said the chemical used had been identified as being part of a group of nerve agents developed by Russia known as Novichok. 
 
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 In response to the incident, Mrs May announced a series of sanctions including the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats. 
 
 As a counter-measure the Kremlin said it would expel an equal number of British diplomats from Russia and close down the country's British Council. 
 
 Then - in what is believed to be the largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in history - more than 20 governments expelled diplomats in their countries, including the US, which removed 60. 
 
 In reply, Russia will expel 60 US diplomats and the US consulate general in St Petersburg is to be closed.
– Doctors say Yulia Skripal, daughter of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, is "improving rapidly" and is no longer in critical condition after being poisoned with a nerve agent alongside her father, the BBC reports. "I’m pleased to be able to report an improvement in the condition of Yulia Skripal. She has responded well to treatment but continues to receive expert clinical care 24 hours a day," said the medical director for Salisbury district hospital Thursday. The 33-year-old is now listed as being in stable condition, the Guardian reports. Her father, 66, is still in critical but stable condition. Just this week, a relative said the father and daughter likely wouldn't survive. Authorities revealed Wednesday that the Skripals first came into contact with the nerve agent at Sergei Skripal's home, where it was found on the front door. It was also found in lower concentrations in other areas around town. Now, Scotland Yard says police have cordoned off a children's play area near the home, but they say it's simply a precautionary measure. "I would like to reiterate Public Health England’s advice that the risk to the public is low," said deputy assistant commissioner Dean Haydon, noting that officers would be searching the play area. The chemical has been identified as part of a group of nerve agents developed by Russia that are known as Novichok.