Crisis management

The four key phases of dealing with coronavirus are revealed

Boris Johnson said the Government’s response to the threat from coronavirus will come in four stages: contain, delay, research and mitigate.

Contain: The phase Britain is currently in, with efforts directed at preventing the spread of the virus with the hope of stopping a major outbreak before it can take hold. Confirmed cases of coronavirus are isolated, and contacts traced.

Delay: If a widespread epidemic becomes inevitable, the Government will do everything it can to delay its peak until the summer, when the NHS will no longer be coping with the normal winter bugs and flu. It will also buy time for the testing of vaccines and drugs that might help avoid deaths. Steps will include “population distancing strategies” that could include school closures and reducing large gatherings such as sporting events.

Research: While steps to delay the peak of the virus are under way, evidence will be gathered about the likely progress of the disease. One possibility is that there could be “multiple waves” of the virus, meaning it could die down and then come back again, if people can catch it more than once.

Mitigate: If the virus takes hold in a large percentage of the population, the focus will shift to dealing with the effects of widespread hospitalisations and up to one fifth of workers being off sick. Stockpiles of medicines will be drawn down, hospitals will cancel nonessential treatment. Police will concentrate on only the most serious crimes and the Army could be called in to “backfill” for sick officers. Schools could share resources, including teaching staff, to stay open.