Government’s action plan sets out steps to be taken to combat spread of Covid-19

Police and fire services might respond only to major incidents if their staff fall victim to Covid-19, the UK government has said in a key planning document outlining how ministers are preparing for an escalating outbreak of the virus.

The government action plan envisages that the army could be called in to help if civilian authorities are struggling to cope, and up to a fifth of the national workforce could be absent from work when the illness reaches its peak. Schools could close and elderly people most at risk could be advised not to attend large social gatherings, casting doubt on commemorations such as those for the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

The measures would be rolled out only if the virus moves beyond the currently designated “contain” phase.

The details emerged as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK rose to 51.

Speaking from Downing Street, Boris Johnson said: “The plan does not set out what the government will do; it sets out the things we could do at the right time and on the basis of scientific advice.

“I do think this is a national challenge. The potential is there for this to be something that our country has to get through but I’ve got absolutely no doubt we’ve got the resources, health service, we’ve got the expertise to do it.

“I’m very confident the British public understands and the British public can see exactly what the balance of risk is. They are getting very clear advice, a very clear picture of how we all need to behave.”

Quick guide What are coronavirus symptoms and should I go to a doctor? Show Hide What is Covid-19? Covid-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a pandemic. What are the symptoms this coronavirus causes? According to the WHO, the most common symptoms of Covid-19 are fever, tiredness and a dry cough. Some patients may also have a runny nose, sore throat, nasal congestion and aches and pains or diarrhoea. Some people report losing their sense of taste and/or smell. About 80% of people who get Covid-19 experience a mild case – about as serious as a regular cold – and recover without needing any special treatment. About one in six people, the WHO says, become seriously ill. The elderly and people with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, or chronic respiratory conditions, are at a greater risk of serious illness from Covid-19. In the UK, the National health Service (NHS) has identified the specific symptoms to look for as experiencing either: a high temperature - you feel hot to touch on your chest or back

a new continuous cough - this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use. The antiviral drugs we have against flu will not work, and there is currently no vaccine. Recovery depends on the strength of the immune system. Should I go to the doctor if I have a cough? Medical advice varies around the world - with many countries imposing travel bans and lockdowns to try and prevent the spread of the virus. In many place people are being told to stay at home rather than visit a doctor of hospital in person. Check with your local authorities. In the UK, NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days. If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home.

The chief medical officer for England, Chris Whitty, said the mortality rate for the illness was 1%, based on information from China. However, it is higher in older people, particularly those aged over 80 and with pre-existing health conditions.

A 1% rate could result in up to 600,000 deaths in the UK, though Whitty said that even among the highest-risk groups, the “vast majority” of people would survive. The mortality rate could also be lower than that because there was no way to tell how many people had the illness but no symptoms, Whitty said.

The advice was released in the Coronavirus: Action Plan on Tuesday as the number of cases in the UK rose from 39 to 51.

The document sets out plans for scenarios ranging from a mild pandemic to a “severe prolonged pandemic as experienced in 1918”, when the Spanish flu killed 50 million people worldwide.

If the illness moves into the “delay” and “mitigate” phases in the UK, retired NHS staff could be brought back to help care for patients, the document says.

“With a significant loss of officers and staff, the police would concentrate on responding to serious crimes and maintaining public order,” it adds.

The 28-page plan also says:

There could be an increase in number of deaths arising from the outbreak, particularly among vulnerable and elderly people. The government will “ensure dignified treatment of all affected, including those who die”, it says, adding that local authorities will need help to deal with the rise in deaths.

Businesses facing short-term cashflow problems because of low demand from customers could ask HMRC how to avoid falling behind with tax.

If NHS staff numbers are affected, some non-urgent care may be delayed and retired healthcare professionals brought back on duty.

Anyone who shows symptoms should consider options ranging from avoiding contact outside work and school to “social distancing”, household quarantine and working from home.

Widespread exposure in the UK may be inevitable – but “slowing it down would still nonetheless be beneficial”, partly because GP surgeries and hospitals will be less busy in the summer months outside of peak flu season.

At a press conference, the prime minister said it was “highly likely” the number of cases in the UK would rise but “for the vast majority of people in this country we should be going about our business as usual”.

Johnson said it was too early to say how many people would contract Covid-19. He said the proportion of the population who might contract coronavirus would not pass 80% and it would probably be a “lot lower than that”.

Asked about gig economy workers who might have to quarantine themselves with no statutory sick pay, Johnson did not announce an extension of sick pay to all, but said: “We’re going to keep all options under review but we’re well aware of the issue.”

He insisted the NHS was “well capable of handling the most tremendous pressures” but said if the situation worsened it would be important for everybody to think about how to reduce the burden on the health service, such as avoiding using GPs.

Whitty said the peak was likely to last for weeks, during which the government would postpone treatment for the least urgent conditions.

He said it was important for older and vulnerable people to “isolate from the virus but not from society”.

Coronavirus map: how Covid-19 is spreading across the world Read more

Whitty said the government was keen not to take stringent measures too early, such as banning visitors from care homes, as there would be a social cost when it was not yet necessary.

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has spoken to social media companies about taking responsibility for websites spreading fake news and about conveying the right messages.

Holidaymakers were advised not to cancel their plans, though anyone older or with a health condition may want to think about the practicalities of travelling somewhere with a health service weaker than the NHS at the peak of the virus spread.

Whitty said: “Once the epidemic is everywhere then actually restricting travel makes no difference at all. At the moment we are certainly not recommending any change to behaviours in relation to that.”

Asked about the possibility of a morgue being set up in Hyde Park, London, Johnson said there were long-established local resilience plans to deal with a pandemic.

Despite earlier suggestions that cities could be put on lockdown to try to contain the illness, experts are saying that would have little effect. Whitty said locking down cities was most useful when an outbreak started in one place rather than emerging all over a country, suggesting this scenario was unlikely in the UK.

Hancock told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier: “The message today is that, right now, we do not need to do many of the heavy things we are talking about in the plan. But we are also setting [them] out as transparently as we possibly can so people know the sort of things we might have to do in future.”