In new plans to deal with the Covid-19 crisis, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that a fifth of the UK workforce could be off sick at the same time, at the peak of the novel coronavirus epidemic.
The government's Covid-19 plan, which was revealed by Mr Johnson in a press conference this morning, read: "The current data seem to show that we are all susceptible to catching this disease, and thus it is also more likely than not that the UK will be significantly affected."
Mr Johnson said: "It is highly likely we will see a growing number of UK cases. Our country remains extremely well prepared, as it has been since the outbreak began in Wuhan several months ago."
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In a worst case scenario, the government is warning that 80 percent of the population could be infected. However, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said the infection rate is likely to be lower than this.
Whitty went on to say that in the UK 'probably around one percent of people who get this virus might end up dying'.
If the outbreak worsens, plans to limit the spread of the virus could include school closures, encouraging home working, and reducing the number of large scale gatherings.
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