A person wearing a protective face mask walks through Waterloo Station in central London on Saturday. (Photo: Xinhua)

School closures and public transport measures could be used as precautions

The British government plans to recall recently retired doctors and outlaw large public gatherings if the novel coronavirus gets a strong foothold in the nation.

The revelations were made by Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Sunday.

He said the government was taking nothing "off the table" in its fight to contain the virus that causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease.

"Under the worst-case scenario, we would have to take some quite significant actions that would have social and economic disruption," Hancock said.

Sky News reported the worst-case scenario could see as much as 80 percent of the UK population contract the virus, and 500,000 fatalities.

Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty said the UK has now had its first case of the disease being contracted domestically. He said the patient likely caught the illness from someone who had recently traveled abroad and noted that health officials were attempting to contact the person at the source.

Meanwhile, the nation's first fatality, a man who had been a passenger on the virus-impacted Diamond Princess cruise ship, was announced on Friday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson now says tackling the virus is his top priority.

"I just want to reassure everybody and say that the NHS is making every possible preparation," the BBC quoted him as saying.

Johnson will chair extra meetings of the government's COBRA emergency committee.

"Coronavirus may very well be a challenge in the weeks and months ahead but I have no doubt that, with the help of the NHS and its incomparable staff, this country will get through it and beat it," he said.

Hancock explained on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that the government has drawn up a "battle plan" that includes provision for a worst-case scenario, in which big events will be banned, schools closed, and public transport avoided.

He said the government will publish details of the plan this week but explained that it includes urging people to work from home.

"Every part of government is working together to share the responsibility of tackling the health, economic, and social impacts ... but cannot do this alone," he said. "Every single person has a role to play in helping to manage the spread of the virus－whether that's washing your hands more often, catching your sneezes, or following clinical advice."

As of Sunday, the UK had 35 confirmed cases, with all but one contracted overseas. Hancock said people should expect more cases in the coming days.

So far, more than 10,000 people have been tested for the virus in the UK.

Bloomberg, meanwhile, reports that France's health minister, Olivier Veran, is urging his compatriots to refrain from greeting each other with kisses in attempts to slow the spread of the illness. The French government also canceled the Paris half-marathon on Sunday, and outlawed indoor events that draw crowds of more than 5,000 people.