EMERGENCY powers are to be rushed through Parliament next week.
Boris will use them to throw Britain on to a war footing against the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
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Boris Johnson is preparing to rush emergency powers through Parliament next week in a bid to take control of the deadly coronavirus outbreak
The emergency legislation will be tabled in the Commons next week and is expected to be rushed through in case the coronavirus outbreak escalates to be a pandemic
An emergency law will give state bodies sweeping new abilities to act immediately to protect Brits from infection.
Border officials will be able to stop people suspected of having coronavirus from entering the country at airports and ferry terminals.
GIANT MORGUE IN HYDE PARK, SAYS MP
While limits on class sizes could be torn up in case schools cannot cope with the number of teachers falling victim to the infection.
The emergency legislation will be tabled in the Commons next week and is expected to be rushed through in case the coronavirus outbreak escalates to be a pandemic.
It comes as a Tory MP revealed the authorities are making Doomsday plans to open a giant morgue in London’s Hyde Park.
The PM last night scrambled to take charge of the spiralling crisis as he reassured Brits that tackling coronavirus is his “top priority”.
He held a hastily-arranged meeting with Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty yesterday afternoon where they discussed the emergency law.
And he is chairing an emergency Cobra meeting on Monday.
Nickie Aiken – the newly elected Tory MP for the Cities of London and Westminster – revealed the Doomsday plans for turning Hyde Park into a morgue
Speaking publicly for the first time on the coronavirus scare, Mr Johnson said his thoughts are with the family of the British man killed by the infection.
He added: “On the wider issue of coronavirus, which obviously is of great concern to people, I just want to reassure everybody that the NHS is making every possible preparation.
“I saw for myself some of the work being done across the NHS to get ready for that just last night.
“As you can imagine, the issue of coronavirus is something which is now the government’s top priority.”
BEST THING PEOPLE CAN DO IS ‘WASH THEIR HANDS
He urged Brits to follow medical advice and wash their hands with hot water and soap for 20 seconds to help avoid infection.
Boris praised Britain’s “fantastic” NHS and said medics are busy making all the preparations needed in case infection rates surge.
He added: “I think people are right to be concerned and they are right to want to take every possible precaution.
“And we will in the course of the next few days be issuing further advice about how to respond and how we will deal with any potential outbreak of the illness.
“But the best thing people can do to prevent the spread of coronavirus is to wash their hands.”
Mr Johnson spoke out after being criticised for failing to get a grip on the crisis.
His former Tory colleague and friend George Osborne earlier in the day tweeted: “The British Government now needs to go onto a ‘war footing’ with the coronavirus: Daily NHS press briefings, regular COBRA meetings chaired by the PM, ministers on all major media shows.
“The public is fearful, wants information and needs to know their leaders have got a grip.”
Meanwhile, Nickie Aiken – the newly elected Tory MP for the Cities of London and Westminster – revealed the Doomsday plans for turning Hyde Park into a morgue.
She told Bloomberg: “We have contingency plans to open up a morgue in Hyde Park, in tents.
“We would run the morgue for most of central London.”
She added: “I was on the Tube yesterday going to the City, and I was thinking this is a nightmare.
“In the worst-case scenario, it’s going to be horrendous.”
Hyde Park in London could become the site of a giant morgue to handle Londoners who fall victim to coronavirus
