MOD Planners To Help Local Areas In Coronavirus Response

Staff from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will be made available to help local areas of the UK deal with the outbreak of coronavirus.

An official spokesman for the Prime Minister has said the MOD was making 38 non-uniform military planners ready to assist public services.

Boris Johnson will have conversations with other world leaders later today regarding the global response to the COVID-19 spread, according to the statement.

Conversations between French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justine Trudeau have already taken place.

Boris Johnson is to hold talks with world leaders about the international response to the coronavirus outbreak, Downing Street said.

"The Prime Minister thinks that this crisis affects countries around the globe and it requires a global response," the spokesman added.

So far, the number of confirmed cases in the UK stands at 590, with ten people having died from COVID-19 in Britain.

Mr Johnson has already announced the British Army is "ready to backfill" for the police "as and when" required, as part of "long-established plans" for worst-case scenarios.

Cover image: PA.