14 March 2020, London
The British government will ban mass gatherings from next week in an attempt to curb the coronavirus outbreak, an escalation of its crisis plan that critics had said was too relaxed.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has so far resisted pressure to take some of the stringent measures adopted by other European countries to slow the spread of the virus, Reuters reported.
“Ministers are working with the chief scientific adviser and chief medical officer on our plan to stop various types of public events, including mass gatherings, beginning next week,” a government source said on Saturday.
Legislation would be published next week to give the government powers to deal with the outbreak, including to stop mass gatherings and compensate organizations, the source said.
