Thread by @markcurtis30

UK authorities told the British public at least *8 times* from January to *mid-March* that the threat from Covid-19 was "low". See the thread. And see the critical article by @pmillerinfo for @declassifieduk

bit.ly/39sH3h9

1/ On 20 January Public Health England’s Dr Nick Phin said in a press release that the risk to the UK population from coronavirus was “very low”. bit.ly/3bAiOz6

2/ On 22 January, as China’s health ministry warned there had been “person-to-person transmission” of coronavirus, UK Department of Health issued its first press release on Covid-19, stating that the “risk to the UK population has been assessed as low”. bit.ly/3bFzIfR

3/ On 24 January, Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Chris Whitty continued to assure the public in a press release, “the risk to the UK public remains low”. bit.ly/3asxYX6

4/ On 27 January, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told parliament there were no confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK and that the risk to the UK population was “low”. bit.ly/2UuiRH9

5/ On 29 January, the government informed parliament it assessed the risk from coronavirus as “low”. bit.ly/39x4xBI

6/ On 30 January, the government again informed parliament it assessed the risk from coronavirus as “low”. bit.ly/2WTPbEP

7/ On 7 February Public Health England repeated: “The risk to individuals remains low.” bit.ly/2QUY39x

8/ Even on 16 March, Boris Johnson was still saying that the “risks of transmission of the disease at mass gatherings such as sporting events are relatively low”. bit.ly/3bI7Is1

9/ At the same time as the UK govt put out this stream of misinformation, it set up a Whatsapp service to “combat the spread of coronavirus misinformation in the UK”!

It also claimed, via its contacts in the media, that Russia was putting out disinformation about coronavirus.