Britain is planning for the global coronavirus epidemic toget worse, health minister Matt Hancock said on Sunday, describing the outbreakas a "very, very significant challenge".
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a meeting ofthe government's emergency response committee on Monday, signalling a steppingup of Britain's preparation for the epidemic which began in China, whereauthorities estimate it has killed almost 3,000 people worldwide.
"We've got a clear strategy for dealing with coronavirus– a very, very significant challenge," Hancock told Sky News. "We'realso planning in case this gets worse, much worse."
If the virus becomes more widespread, the government willlook at registering retired health workers to work again, and whether encouragingpeople to work at home could delay its peak until summer when it can be moreeasily dealt with.
Britain currently has 23 confirmed coronavirus cases, andHancock said on Sunday it was still in a containment phase. The issue willbecome a standing item for all cabinet meetings and there will be more mediabriefings from health officials.
Johnson wrote in the Sun newspaper that it was right to beconcerned about the possible spread of the virus, but said a visit to a Britishhospital had left him "100 per cent confident in the medicalresilience"
The government is launching a new public informationcampaign this week, encouraging people to wash their hands for at least 20seconds, and to do so more often than normal.
