UK govt. warned of coronavirus last year, leaked document reveals
UK ministers were warned about the risk of the coronavirus last year and its potentially catastrophic social and economic consequences, a leaked secret document has revealed.
Leaked to The Guardian, the 2019 National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) was signed off by government chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance, as well as a senior national security adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The 600-page document warned that even a mild pandemic could kill tens of thousands of people in Britain, and outlined the “capability requirements” to mitigate the risks to the country.
The recommendations included the need to stockpile personal protective equipment (PPE), draw up plans to manage a surge in excess deaths, and establish procedures for disease surveillance and contact tracing.
Having plans for assisting UK citizens overseas and repatriating them to Britain was also listed as a priority.
“A novel pandemic virus could be both highly transmissible and highly virulent,” the document said. “Therefore, pandemics significantly more serious than the reasonable worst case … are possible.”
All of these areas have come under critical examination since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with the government accused of being too slow to react to the crisis.
The true extent of Britain’s COVID-19 death toll was more than 40 percent higher than government figures indicated, according to official data that put the country on track to become among the worst-hit in Europe.
Close to 20,000 people have died in hospital in the United Kingdom after testing positive for the new coronavirus, data showed on Friday, as Britain approached a milestone it had hoped never to reach.
The UK government is also coming under increased pressure to ease the lockdown as evidence of economic disaster accumulates.
According to budget forecasters, the British economy could be heading into its deepest recession in more than 300 years.
London protests: Tens of thousands reiterate calls for ceasefire in Gaza
Artists withdraw from music festival in Britain in support of Gaza
Cambridge's most affluent college to divest from arms companies: Report
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
Putin: Russia ready to do whatever necessary to help Iran
VIDEO | Iranians unite in prayer for President Raeisi after helicopter incident
Russia to scramble aircraft to Iran to assist search for presidential chopper
Iraq stands by Iran in search for missing president: Iraqi security advisor
IRGC chief cmdr. travels to site of incident involving presidential helicopter
Biden plays down Palestinian genocide, calls it Gaza 'humanitarian crisis'
World reacts to Iranian president's helicopter incident
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
