Police and immigration officials may be given the power to place people in “appropriate isolation facilities” and close airports under new emergency powers to crack down on the spread of coronavirus.
Airports and other transport hubs could face temporary closure, while people arriving in the UK could be forcibly detained in isolation facilities on public health grounds should they display symptoms.
The government hopes that such measures won’t need to be enacted if people behave in a responsible manner.
The legislation is expected to be pushed through Parliament this week without being debated nor voted on in the lobbies, but MPs will be able to suggest changes, according to the Speaker.
Ministers said that the new emergency legislation will “support and protect the public to do the right thing and follow public health advice”.
Elsewhere under the plans, hospital patients may be discharged early to accommodate those in a critical condition.
The government said that the intention was to save lives and ease the strain on health and social care workers.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said that the measures were “proportionate to the threat we face”, but would only be enacted if “strictly necessary” and kept in force temporarily.
He reassured that the intention was to slow down the virus’ spread and provide time for the NHS to prepare for increased strain on resources.
Hancock added that these steps would be “timed to maximise their effectiveness” and then “switched off” when no longer required.
Hancock said: “By planning for the worst and working for the best we will get through this, but this is a national effort and we must all work together.”
”Crucially they [the plans] give the government the powers it needs to protect lives.”
There are measures under the plans aimed at increasing NHS capacity, including reducing paperwork to allow doctors to discharge patients quicker, providing new insurance cover for staff who are giving care outside of their obligations, and allowing recently retired staff to return to work without their entitlements being affected.
The coronavirus death toll in the UK now exceeds 100.
