The internet rumour mill has gone into overdrive today as Brits shared pictures on social media of the army on UK streets.
One image that went viral on Facebook shows what appears to be soldiers in fatigues walking in Clapham, south London, with people hurriedly speculating they are being moved into place as part of a rumoured imminent lockdown in the capital city.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the image in fact shows cadets from the Motivational Preparation College for Training, which has a base in nearby Battersea.
The college provides a military-style education for 16-19 year old’s and can help prepare students for a career in the armed forces. The fatigue-clad figures from the image circulating online are cadets training, not front line soldiers.
Another picture that sent the internet-haywire today shows military vehicles parked on a motorway, with some claiming it was snapped in Glasgow and others saying on the outskirts on London.
The image has been circulating for days, and has been attributed to being from both France and Russia. However it could not be from the UK because the vehicles are on the wrong side of the road.
Fake News: One image that went viral on Facebook shows what appears to be soldiers in fatigues walking near Clapham, in south London, with people hurriedly speculating they are being moved into place as part of a rumoured imminent lockdown in the capital city
Fake News: An image showing military vehicles parked on a motorway at an unknown location has been posted today. Some people have claimed this is on motorways near London or Glasgow, but the vehicles are parked on the wrong side of the road indicating this is not from the UK
A video has also gone viral showing what appears to be two military vehicles being transported down a motorway.
Social media users concluded the vehicles must be heading for London, but it is not clear when the video was taken. Additionally the dashboard shows the time as 7.13pm and the temperature as 14 degrees, which is high for mid-March.
It came as London could be put into a form of ‘lockdown’ to enforce tough restrictions on social contact, Boris Johnson hinted last night.
The Prime Minister refused to rule out the possibility of ‘further and faster measures’ to control the spread of the virus in the capital, where the epidemic is running ahead of the rest of the country.
He said ‘ruthless’ enforcement of so-called social distancing measures – such as working from home and avoiding social gatherings in pubs, cinemas and restaurants – was needed. Some 953 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in the capital – more than a third of the UK total of 2,626.
Mr Johnson said people who chose to ignore the official advice could put others at risk.
Anecdotal evidence suggests some Londoners do not appear to be following Government advice to socially distance themselves, and have been attending pubs, clubs and restaurants and continuing to travel to work
As a result, London could follow the example of other cities around the world which have been hit by the virus and go into so-called lockdown.
At a press conference in Downing Street tonight, Boris Johnson announced new restrictions for the capital after the death toll across the country spike to 104 – up by 33 in a single day
However, police are said to be concerned that the measures would be unenforceable and could even lead to public disorder. Asked about the prospect yesterday, the Prime Minister said: ‘The more closely, the more strictly, the more ruthlessly we can enforce upon ourselves, our families, the advice we are getting about avoiding unnecessary gatherings about staying at home when we have symptoms, then the better we will be able to protect the NHS, the fewer deaths we will have and the less suffering there will be in the UK population, and the faster we will get through this.
‘This is strong, strong advice and we absolutely do not rule out taking further and faster measures in due course.’ The Chief Scientific Officer, Sir Patrick Vallance, said the measures would work only if they were followed by ‘a very high proportion’ of the population.
Sir Patrick, who will advise the PM on whether a further lockdown is needed, added: ‘The moment we say, “It’s not for me, it’s for someone else”, the less effective it will be.
‘When we don’t adhere to this, we are putting the sickest patients at risk. It is crucial that this is not taken as soft advice but a really clear instruction to do this.’
The Chief Medical Officer also refused to rule out total lockdowns of the UK, as is happening in France, Spain and Italy. Professor Chris Whitty said: ‘What we’ve said at the beginning is that as the epidemic progresses, we will do more things at the right time.
‘But each of the things we’re doing are very disruptive to people’s lives and we’re very keen to do them at the right time but not before the right time.’ He told BBC 5 Live: ‘There may well be, as this epidemic starts to take off, significant other things the Prime Minister may wish to do.’
Mr Johnson’s remarks came after Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, claimed the UK Government was about to announce ‘more stringent measures’ for London. Asked how far the UK was from a ‘complete lockdown’, she said the capital might see tougher measures first because it was further ahead on the ‘curve’ of the outbreak.
Mrs Sturgeon is fully briefed on UK-wide coronavirus measures as she attends the Government’s emergency Cobra meetings.
A source at London’s City Hall said last night that No 10 had not informed them of any lockdown plans so far.
Another source said: ‘All options are on the table. No decision has been made yet. We will take whatever steps are necessary but no time scale has been decided upon.
‘There has been speculation about police and the Army shutting down the streets completely. It is physically impossible – London is too big and there aren’t enough officers. It is unenforceable.’
It is understood that the military will initially be deployed to hospitals and to protect the transport network, although travel may be limited to key workers.
Though it not clear what exactly the stricter measures would look like, a lockdown could entail travel restrictions for all but key workers, which will include NHS staff on the frontline. All businesses could be forced to close, with only pharmacies and supermarkets allowed to stay open, as has been seen in other European cities.