THE army is on standby to help tackle the Coronavirus crisis as part of Boris Johnson’s battle plan to kill off the deadly bug in Britain.
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The PM has this morning launched his doomsday battle plan to save as many lives as possible while ensuring Britain goes about business as usual.
It includes sweeping measures which will be considered by ministers in the coming weeks, such as shutting down schools, banning mass gatherings, and encouraging people to work from home.
Health officials will put a range of situations to ministers to choose – and give them evidence on how effective they might be.
But Brits were warned that it is “more likely than not that the UK will be significantly affected”.
The Government plan said the killer bug has “the potential to spread extensively”.
The great majority of people will have just mild symptoms, though.
And police could be asked to ditch low level work and just focus on serious crime too.
His battle plan includes:
- Urging millions of Brits to work from home to reduce the risk of catching it
- Schools could be shut and areas of the country could be closed off as no-go zones like in China
- Large scale events like concerts and sports matches could be cancelled
- Targeted advice will be given to vulnerable people to keep them safe
- Plans to call retired doctors and nurses back into the NHS
- Giving schools permission to have larger class sizes
- Emergency laws to tackle the outbreak – including allowing border officials to refuse entry to Britain of anyone accused of carrying the virus
- Police could ditch burglaries and low level calls to focus on public order and crime
Officials are still working on the event that the virus can still be contained.
But the urgent plans are for what might happen if it can’t be.
Britain will then move onto new “delay and mitigate” phases to try and stop it spreading.
There will be a focus on helping vulnerable groups as medical experts think this is best way to reduce the number of deaths.
Local authorities will have advice on how deal with increased deaths if the outbreak reaches a crisis point.
Up to one in five could be off work sick during the peak of the crisis, if was predicted today.
Brits could be encouraged to work from home, but they won’t be be forced to.
NHS
Services could be reduced as part of the NHS battle plan, it was revealed today.
Non urgent operations may have to be scrapped to take care of people with the virus.
Brits could also be discharged from hospital earlier in order to free up more space.
There is currently no sign that pregnant women are more likely to be seriously affected.
ECONOMY AND SOCIAL
If the virus continues to rampage through the country then the economy is likely to take a hit.
Ministers are preparing for large scale absences across the emergency services too which could have an impact.
And in the event of widespread pandemics, Brits may be urged to reduce their social contact outside of work too.
It comes after Matt Hancock warned there could be “no go areas” as the Health Secretary warned that the crisis has a serious chance of turning into a full blown pandemic in the UK.
Matt Hancock told Sky News: “We don’t rule out that kind of thing, but… the impact of the disease is greatest for elderly and vulnerable people.”
The chances of the virus becoming more widespread are serious, he stressed.
But he added: “There are some countries where the spread has slowed down and they have got a grip on it.
“It shows that measures can be effective if they are done right and follows the science.”
Last night he said the spread could take weeks to reach a peak, and ministers are hopeful of delaying the main outbreak for at least 30 days until the weather is warmer.
A worst case scenario would see 80 per cent of people infected, and four per cent needing hospital care.
The PM will enforce his four-stage battle plan and put Britain on red alert for a string of restrictions in the event of mass infection
A man waits at a busy train station wearing a gas mask – as fears of coronavirus spread
Prof Paul Cosford, from Public Health England, said most patients had links to countries where there was widespread infection.
But he added: “There is a small number now where it is much more difficult to find that link, and that’s leading us to think we may well see more widespread infection in the UK fairly soon.”
An NHS employee working at Kent’s Maidstone Studios, where Catchphrase, Blind Date and Take Me Out are filmed, was also diagnosed.
He was in an office rented by the North East London NHS Foundation Trust, where staff have now been told to work from home.
Brits will also be urged to work from home and avoid unnecessary journeys.
Part of the PM’s plan will involve a massive PR blitz telling the public to wash their hands regularly
Commuters wear masks on the tube
British Airways has said it will cancel hundreds of flights – including long haul trips to the US – because of falling demand.
And it comes as British supermarkets are drawing up plans to feed the nation to help with panic buying associated with the virus too.
As part of the plans, supermarkets would work with suppliers to cut back on variety – focusing instead on their supplies of staple products.
One online supermarket has reported running out of stock because Brits are stockpiling items.
Many Brits have started to panic buy household items to help them survive, should coronavirus close down their communities.
