Alarmageddon? No, just keep calm and carry on, urges new Deputy PM: Public told they can ‘simply swipe away’ Government emergency alert set to be emitted to millions of phones today
The public have been assured they can ‘simply swipe away’ when the Government’s emergency alert emits a loud alarm to millions of phones today.
Newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said it should be a case of ‘keep calm and carry on’ when the ten-second trial rings this afternoon.
He added that people do not need to take any action but stressed that in the future it could be ‘the sound that could save your life’.
Mr Dowden said: ‘Keep calm and carry on – that is the British way and it is exactly what the country will do when they receive this test alert at 3pm today.
‘Our number one job is to keep people safe and this is another tool in the toolkit for emergency situations, such as flooding or wildfires, and where there is a genuine risk to life.
The public have been assured they can ‘simply swipe away’ a test of a new public alert system when it emits a loud alarm on millions of phones on Sunday
The newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden outside Downing Street
‘I would encourage people to remember that today it is just a test. There is no need to take any action and you can simply swipe it away as you would any other message you receive.’
People who do not wish to receive the alerts are able to opt out in their device settings – but officials hope the life-saving potential of the messages means users will keep them on.
The siren-like sound, which the Cabinet Office assures will be no more prominent than a mobile’s loudest ringtone setting, will sound on all 4G and 5G devices unless they have been turned off or are in airplane mode.
The test coincides with major events including the London Marathon and Premier League clashes between Bournemouth and West Ham, and Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur.