Boris Johnson tried to reassure Britons that he would ‘keep the country fed’ during the coronavirus outbreak in a bid to stop panic-buyers from raiding supermarket shelves and stockpiling food.
The PM said he had faith in the ability of the public to see the ‘balance of risk’ with the disease, and he hoped they would carry on with ‘business as usual’ despite the number of infections rapidly approaching triple digits.
But supermarket aisles remained bare across the country today as panic-buyers continue to scoop up hand soap and disinfectant, nappies and baby wipes, as well as dried goods such as pasta and rice.
Manufacturers have ramped up production and are working at ‘full capacity’ to ensure aisles can be re-stocked, while retailers are even considering rationing household essentials such as toilet paper in response to panic buying.
Taking to the ITV This Morning sofa to reassure the country as the number of UK cases hit 90, Mr Johnson was asked if he could guarantee Britons will still be able to get food, and replied: ‘Yes.’
Mr Johnson said a ‘range of options’ were being considered for how to respond and stressed that the government was being guided by leading scientists on what is needed to limit the impact of a major outbreak.
The PM insisted that ‘draconian’ measures such as banning large gatherings and telling elderly people to batten down the hatches at home ‘wouldn’t work as well as people think’.
But presenter Phillip Schofield pressed Mr Johnson to make sure the government gave full information, saying: ‘I need to know, at what point do I tell my mum actually, it might be a good idea to stay in now?’
Mr Johnson insisted: ‘We are putting it out as fast as we can… We want to overcommunicate with the public about what is happening.’
The PM’s attempts to reassure the public came after England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, warned this morning the virus was now spreading among Britons and not just between those who had travelled abroad.
Professor Whitty revealed the government had ratcheted up its response to the second ‘delay’ phase because it no longer believes it can prevent an outbreak, adding there was now a ‘slim to zero’ chance that the virus could be stopped.
But he said he did not expect cases to be worse among healthcare workers because they would be told by bosses not to work through illness and to go home at the first sight of an infection.
Final-year medical students could be drafted in to reduce the strain on hospitals in the event of an epidemic, as well as retirees being pulled back into the workforce – despite older people being more at-risk of serious complications at the hands of the virus.
Meanwhile Flybe today blamed the coronavirus outbreak for its sudden collapse – despite long-running financial troubles – which has left thousands of travellers stranded around the country and put 2,000 people’s jobs at risk.
