UK planning in case coronavirus get 'much worse'

Britain's Health Minister Matt Hancock said the country is planning in case the coronavirus epidemic gets "much worse", describing the outbreak as a "very, very significant challenge".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the government's emergency response committee on Monday (March 2), signaling a stepping up of Britain's preparation for the epidemic which began in China, where authorities estimate it has killed almost 3,000 people worldwide.

Britain currently has 23 confirmed coronavirus cases, and Hancock said on Sunday (March 1) it was still in a containment phase.

The issue will become a standing item for all cabinet meetings and there will be more media briefings from health officials.

Johnson wrote in the Sun newspaper that it was right to be concerned about the possible spread of the virus, but said a visit to a British hospital had left him "100 per cent confident in the medical resilience."