Coronavirus: Boris Johnson to "create prohibited areas and ban public gatherings"

Boris Johnson should create “no-go zones” and ban public gatherings for the purpose of fighting coronavrus.

Details would appear in the government's "battle plan", which is expected to be released today.

Time reports that the Prime Minister has given himself "broad powers" to create exclusion zones in areas affected by the coronavirus as the country prepares for the spread of the disease.

A volunteer "army" of the NHS is also being formed with officials who are desperately trying to speed up the six-month training process.

The number of people in the UK who tested positive for the virus is 40.

Johnson is to present the government's plan, promising that the authorities are "ready to take the necessary measures" to contain the coronavirus and protect the vulnerable.

The Treasury should also offer relief to businesses hit by warnings about the virus.

The "battle plan" to be launched on Downing Street later today is expected to include a "war room" bringing together government and NHS communications experts and scientists to launch a campaign of public information.

Other measures could discourage people from unnecessary travel, workers should stay home, and retired doctors and nurses have asked to return to work to help care for patients.

The Prime Minister said: "We have agreed on a plan, which I will outline in detail, so if the virus spreads, we are ready to take the necessary measures to contain it and protect the most vulnerable" .

Legislation authorizing the government to use additional powers to help control Covid-19 is expected to be tabled in Parliament by the end of the month.

After an emergency Cobra meeting on Monday during which ministers discussed the "battle plan", Johnson said the coronavirus is "very likely" to spread more widely.

Although he insisted that the NHS is well prepared to deal with any epidemic, a group of doctors warned that there were concerns that an already overworked health service would not could not cope in case of a huge increase in cases.

The UK Doctors' Association said that only eight of the 1,618 doctors surveyed believed that the NHS was ready for the coronavirus.

Health officials have been saying for weeks that the public can play their part by washing their hands regularly, and Johnson advised people on Monday to do it for the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice .

But despite the public health campaign, a YouGov survey suggested that 54% of people had taken no additional steps to protect themselves.

Health leaders announced an additional 1.7 million investment in the NHS non-emergency helpline to provide more clinical advice on the coronavirus, and the NHS England has implemented a new NHS 111 online service after a sharp increase in inquiries.

With global markets affected by the spread of Covid-19, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to use his budget next week to define measures to support the economy, after ordering officials to develop plans to strengthen the response of public health, business and the economy.

All of the new British cases announced on Monday were people who had recently traveled to Italy, which is experiencing the largest epidemic in Europe.

Government sources told the PA news agency that it could take "months rather than weeks" before the epidemic peaks in the UK.

In a suggestion that additional emergency powers weren't needed immediately, the source said, "We don't want to have to make decisions before we do. As much as possible, we want people to continue their daily lives. "

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that while the UK is currently focusing on containment of the disease, the next phase – if global spread continues – will try to slow the spread and to push the peak of the virus towards the warmer summer weather.

The European Commission raised the risk of moderate to high coronavirus on Monday for those in the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Cases in the UK include a worker from the offices of the North East London NHS Foundation Trust at Vinters Business Park near Maidstone in Kent, a pupil of a Torbay secondary school, a surgical patient at Davenport House GP at Harpenden and the parent of a student at school in Stevenage.

Three of the new cases in England were linked to a man from Surrey, infected in the United Kingdom.

As the epidemic continues to dominate global headlines, parents have reported that children in playgrounds are playing a "coronavirus game", with a mother describing it as a crossover between the label and stuck in the mud.

British Airways announced that it had canceled hundreds of flights to come in March, including from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports.

Ryanair also reduced flights on certain routes, in particular to and from Italy, by up to 25% due to lower demand.

Globally, more than 88,000 cases of disease have been confirmed, with more than 3,000 deaths.