THE ARMED forces are standing by to deal with gaps in emergency services that may arise from the coronavirus outbreak, the Prime Minster has confirmed.

Health boards will be able to detain people who have the virus or stop them from travelling, while those who are suspected of infection could be forcibly tested or quarantined under court order. should the infection become more widespread.

The details were revealed in a 28-page government ‘battle plan’ published yesterday, outlining what steps could be taken in a worst case scenario if the Covid-19 bug spreads further across the country.

Agreed by the Scottish Government and other devolved administrations, the plan also states that police could be diverted away from non- urgent incidents and NHS care for minor injuries delayed.

Boris Johnson said the army preparations were part of “longstanding plans” to “keep the public safe”, however calling for army would only be done in extreme circumstances.

He added: “The police are there, but the army is of course always ready to back them. That is under the reasonable worst-case scenario.”

At a press conference yesterday, the Prime Minister said the action plan covered four separate phases - “Containing the virus, delaying its spread, researching its origins and cure, and finally mitigating the impact should the virus become more widespread.”

Johnson said: “Our country remains extremely well prepared, as it has been since the outbreak began in Wuhan several months ago.

“We must not forget what we can all do to fight this virus. Wash your hands with soap and hot water for the length of time it takes to sing happy birthday twice. It is simple advice but it is the single most important thing we can do.

“At this stage, I want to stress that for the vast majority of the people of this country we should be going about business as usual. “

The Prime Minister also said that there was no current recommendation for schools to close, while Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer to the government, added that there is “no evidence of children being badly affected by the disease.”

He also advised against members of the public stockpiling food or medication, and added that the NHS has supplies of medication and equipment ready if needed later.

The government is planning for an epidemic lasting around six months, with the virus reaching peak infection within 2-3 months of the first sustained person-to-person transmission.

Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser said it is expected to drop off within 2-3 months of the peak level of infection.

He added that the greatest disruption to people’s everyday lives could be over 12 weeks where around a fifth of people would be off work.

The science chief also said that restricting travel would be pointless should the outbreak get worse, adding: “Once the epidemic is everywhere, then actually restricting travel makes no difference at all.

“At the moment we are certainly not recommending any change to behaviours in relation to that.

“And if it grows in the UK, then of course it doesn’t really make more sense to say that you’re at more risk somewhere else than you are here.”

Around 80% of the population, in an absolute worst-case scenario, could contract the virus, with around 1% of those infected dying.

According to the government’s plan, councils would be supported and advised on ho to deal with the “increased number of deaths”.

Social media firms have been asked to act “responsibly” when moderating content online that may spread conspiracies or false information about the virus, with the government saying they had an important role to play in stopping the epidemic.

It comes as the Advertising Standards Authority banned two companies from using “scaremongering” adverts for face masks which made false claims about their ability to prevent the spread of coronavirus.