U.K. declares coronavirus a serious and imminent threat to public health

Britain said on Monday that the new coronavirus was a serious and imminent threat to public health, a step that gives the government additional powers to fight the spread of the virus.

“The Secretary of State declares that the incidence or transmission of novel coronavirus constitutes a serious and imminent threat to public health,” the health ministry said.

“Measures outlined in these regulations are considered as an effective means of delaying or preventing further transmission of the virus,” the ministry said.

The ministry designated Arrowe Park Hospital and Kents Hill Park as an “isolation” facility and Wuhan and Hubei province in China as an “infected area”.