UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled its for containing the spread of the new coronavirus
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BY JILL LAWLESS and DANICA KIRKA Associated Press
March 3, 2020, 1:14 PM
4 min read
LONDON -- Retired doctors could be called back to work, police might stop investigating minor crimes and local authorities would may struggle to deal with the burden of extra deaths if a new coronavirus spreads widely across Britain, the government said Tuesday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government unveiled a 25-page “action plan” laying out measures it might take in a worst-case scenario of millions of cases and thousands of people at risk of dying.
“The plan does not set out what the government will do. It sets out the steps we could take at the right time along the basis of the scientific advice,” Johnson said at a news conference at 10 Downing St.
For now, Johnson said, the message is to go “about our business as usual,” and wash hands often in warm soapy water.
But the government plan says that at the peak of an epidemic, one-fifth of the U.K. workforce could be off sick, putting business, schools and hospitals placed under heavy pressure.
Johnson’s government has been accused of being slow to respond to the illness, which was first identified late last year in China. So far, Britain has fewer cases of the disease than some other European countries such as Italy and France, with only 40 confirmed infections. But officials say a much wider spread of the disease is likely.
Scientists are racing to learn about the new virus, which has infected more than 90,000 people around the world, the vast majority still in mainland China. Some 3,100 people with the virus have died.
The British government said it was preparing for an outbreak of varying severity — from one equivalent to a mild winter flu that causes a few hundred deaths to a crisis like the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic that killed an estimated 200,000 people in Britain and tens of millions worldwide.
British experts have previously said a worst-case scenario could see 80% of the U.K’s 66 million people become infected with the coronavirus, though they stressed they do not think that is the most likely prognosis.
England's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, said Tuesday that about 1% of people who get the virus might die but it varies by age group, with those over age 80 at greatest risk.
So far, Britain is not recommending any of the dramatic measures seen in some harder-hit nations, such as cancelling sporting events and other mass gatherings, closing large numbers of educational institutions and barring visitors from some countries. It isn't even advising people to stop shaking hands.
But U.K. authorities said more public health measures could put into effect if the situation worsens.
Authorities said they may have to close schools, cancel large public events and tell significant numbers of people to work from home as part of “social distancing strategies” designed to delay the spread of the virus until summer, when flu season is over and pressure on the health service lessens.
Retired doctors and nurses could be put back to work to ease medical staff shortages, and class sizes at schools might have to be increased, if teachers fall ill.
If the virus spreads widely, the government would consider more drastic measures such as rationing medicines and scaling back emergency services to their “critical functions.”
“For example, with a significant loss of officers and staff, the police would concentrate on responding to serious crimes and maintaining public order,” the government's action plan said.
The government says its strategy aims to protect people most vulnerable to COVID-19 disease : the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.
The document raises the prospect of many more deaths than in a typical year and says the government “will provide advice to local authorities on dealing with this challenge.”
Johnson said the government would ensure “everybody gets the dignity they deserve” in death.
The action plan notes that in the event of a widespread outbreak, “pressures on services and wider society may start to become significant and clearly noticeable.” It says actions will only be taken on the advice of the government’s medical experts.
The government also plans new legislation to ensure it has "all the necessary powers'' to respond to the outbreak. It has not revealed details.
Te legislation — due to be published in the next few weeks — is likely to give border officials powers to test travellers for the virus, while the government may also get the power to close schools and prevent mass public gatherings.
