Government holds first COBR meeting on 2019-nCoV followed by statement from the CMO for England on 'low' risk to the UK

The government's COBR (Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms – committee to handle national emergencies) meeting on the new coronavirus (currently known as 2019-nCoV) is chaired by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, followed by a statement from Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, on the risk to the UK. In his statement, Chris Whitty says 'the risk to the UK public remains low, but there may well be cases in the UK at some stage', and that 'the UK is well prepared for these types of incidents, with excellent readiness against infectious diseases'.