国际英语新闻:UK set to move to second phase in fighting coronavirus

LONDON, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The British government is set to move to "delay" phase, the second in Britain's four-step move, in responding to the novel coronavirus by closing schools, cancelling major sporting events and making people work from home, British media reported Wednesday night.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to chair an emergency Cobra committee meeting on Thursday afternoon, at which he is expected to declare that Britain will switch from trying to contain COVID to delay its spread, said the reports.

The reports came after a total of eight people died in the UK from the disease, while two Britons were dead abroad.

Two people, diagnosed with the virus, died in the UK on Wednesday, the day when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID a pandemic.