As Boris Johnson set out the government’s action plan on the Covid-19 outbreak last week, the public had already begun to take matters into their own hands – so much so that hand sanitizer is now running out, forcing some supermarkets to ration how many gels individuals can buy. 

The number of cases is rising both in Britain and across the world. Last week saw the UK’s first fatality and cases cross the 100 mark. Meanwhile, UK health officials are moving towards the second phase of their response to coronavirus. The first aimed to contain the outbreak, and in the second, they plan to delay its spread. The last phase is mitigation – where the pressures on services and wider society may start to become significant and clearly noticeable.