British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday held discussions with the country's leading manufacturers to join a nationwide effort to build more ventilators and other medical equipment required in the fightback against the spread of coronavirus, which has now claimed 35 lives in the UK.
While the UK has not joined some of the other European countries in a complete lockdown and compulsory school closures, streets and busy travel hubs were devoid of the usual rush hour crowds on Monday morning as a growing number of people are choosing to work from home and keep their children out of school.
Preparing for the spread of the coronavirus outbreak is a national priority and we're calling on the manufacturing industry and all those with relevant expertise who might be able to help to come together to help the country tackle this national crisis, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
We need to step up production of vital equipment such as ventilators so that we can all help the most vulnerable, and we need businesses to come to us and help in this national effort, the spokesperson said.
Well-known manufacturing giants such as Dyson, JCB, Rolls-Royce and Unipart Group are among those being rallied in what is seen as an appeal akin to war-time when industries are geared towards the war effort.
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Huge thanks to all those companies that have already responded, said Alok Sharma, the Indian-origin Minister for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, as he called on businesses who can help with the effort to contact his ministry's helpline.
We have been approached by the Prime Minister to see if we can help with the production of ventilators. We have research and engineering teams actively looking at the request at the moment, said Lord Anthony Bamford, JCB Chairman.
The talks come as Johnson held yet another emergency meeting of the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBRA) on Monday and announced plans to hold daily press conferences to keep the public informed on how to protect themselves.
Downing Street said the press conferences form part of the UK government's commitment to clarity and transparency in order to ensure British people are fully informed about the steps they can take to protect themselves and others. It follows criticism from Opposition parties over a lack of clarity on tougher self-isolation and social distancing measures set to be enforced within days.
Labour Party MP Kate Osborne became the second UK MP after Conservative MP Nadine Dorries to test positive for coronavirus and be diagnosed with COVID-19, as the House of Commons began restricting access to the estate for visitors amid the outbreak.
I will continue to self-isolate until I have fought off the illness. But in the meantime I would encourage everyone to band together and support the most vulnerable in our communities, said Osborne, the MP for Jarrow in north-east England.
Emergency laws are also on their way later this week, which could mean a GBP 1,000 fine or even jail time for anyone who refuses to be tested or quarantined as part of a reasonable force drive.
Meanwhile, G7 leaders from the advanced economies of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States are to participate in a call to discuss international efforts. Downing Street said the UK PM will encourage fellow leaders to support the World Health Organisation (WHO) response, provide funding and expertise for research that can ensure rapid progress to develop a vaccine, and drive forward support to mitigate the economic impacts of the crisis.
The UK says it has provided 150 million pounds to the IMF's Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust to support the economies of developing countries affected by the virus, 50 million pounds for the Centre for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations which is leading the global research and development of a vaccine, 25 million pounds for further research into the virus including to develop a rapid test, and 10 million pounds for the WHO's flash appeal for the outbreak.
The UK's Chief Medical Officers have raised the risk to the public from moderate to high as a new public awareness campaign fronted by British actor Mark Strong went on air to offer "clear, practical advice" in preventing and slowing the spread of the virus.
As per the current advice, the most important thing individuals are being asked to do to protect themselves remains washing their hands more often, for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water. Anyone with a high temperature or new continuous cough however mild is being asked to self-isolate and stay at home for seven days as the authorities work on flattening out the peak of the outbreak to reduce the stress on the health service.
Coronavirus is the biggest public health crisis we have faced in a generation. It continues to spread both in the UK and around the world and we need to accept that sadly, many more of us will become infected, said UK health secretary Matt Hancock.
The fallout from the outbreak is having a major impact on UK industry, with travel operators and airlines reporting big reductions in services. Easyjet, British Airways and Ryanair are among airlines which have announced sweeping flight cancellations and warned hundreds of planes would be grounded. Airline industry chiefs are set for a meeting with UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak to discuss steps that would help them survive through the crisis.
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