LONDON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The British government will launch a refreshed public information campaign and set out an enhanced government approach to the threat of COVID-19, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday.
Under the new "battle plan", every government department will have a designated Ministerial virus lead to help oversee government response to the threat of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, cross-government "war room" of communications experts and scientists will also be set up ahead of public information blitz in coming weeks.
On Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the government's COBRA emergency committee as part of this coordinated response, according to Hancock.
COBRA, or COBR, meetings are named after Britain's Cabinet Office Briefing Room A on Whitehall, gathering ministers, civil servants, the police, intelligence officers and others appropriate to whatever they are looking into in an emergency response.
"We must prepare for coronavirus and listen to the advice of the Chief Medical Officer -- especially about the importance of washing our hands with soap. We should be doing that for 20 seconds, and more often than we would normally think was necessary. This will make a real difference in stopping this virus spread," said Johnson in a statement.
Britain is currently in the "containment" phase, where isolated cases are transferred to hospitals and detailed contact tracing is carried out. The next phase could see broader measures introduced to keep the public safe and relieve the pressure on the National Health Service, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
Britain confirmed 12 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the country's total number of infections to 35, according to British health authorities.
Under the new "battle plan", every government department will have a designated Ministerial virus lead to help oversee government response to the threat of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, cross-government "war room" of communications experts and scientists will also be set up ahead of public information blitz in coming weeks.
On Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the government's COBRA emergency committee as part of this coordinated response, according to Hancock.
COBRA, or COBR, meetings are named after Britain's Cabinet Office Briefing Room A on Whitehall, gathering ministers, civil servants, the police, intelligence officers and others appropriate to whatever they are looking into in an emergency response.
"We must prepare for coronavirus and listen to the advice of the Chief Medical Officer -- especially about the importance of washing our hands with soap. We should be doing that for 20 seconds, and more often than we would normally think was necessary. This will make a real difference in stopping this virus spread," said Johnson in a statement.
Britain is currently in the "containment" phase, where isolated cases are transferred to hospitals and detailed contact tracing is carried out. The next phase could see broader measures introduced to keep the public safe and relieve the pressure on the National Health Service, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
Britain confirmed 12 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the country's total number of infections to 35, according to British health authorities.
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