The United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced plans to institute a self-isolation program for the elderly, one that will be advised for up to four months.
"That is in the action plan, yes, and we will be setting it out with more detail when it is the right time to do so, because we absolutely appreciate that it is a very big ask of the elderly and the vulnerable, and it's for their own self-protection," Secretary Matt Hancock said, the U.K.'s Metro reported.
It has been determined by experts, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions are most vulnerable to death from the coronavirus pandemic.
The official announcement will be "in the coming weeks, absolutely," as the U.K. also weighs a ban on large gatherings, Hancock said, per the report.
"We are absolutely ready to do that as necessary," he said, per the report. "We will take these decisions at the right time, but I'm absolutely prepared to take actions like that if those actions are necessary."
"We've already seen many sporting events being canceled and lots of these big gatherings being canceled."
The actions are designed to curb the community spread of the coronavirus, which has proved resilient in knocking out large areas and causing mass casualties, particularly China and Italy.
"Things like the mass gatherings, actually it doesn't really matter how big the gathering is; what matters is making sure people who have the illness aren’t spreading it and stay home," Hancock said, per the report.