Britain sets up unit to fight disinformation about coronavirus outbreak

Britain has set up a specialist unit to combat spread of disinformation about vel coronavirus outbreak, officials said on Monday.

culture department said teams had been brought toger to provide a fuller picture of potential extent, scope and impact of issue.

" aim is, where necessary, to identify and respond to disinformation related to COVID-19," it added in a statement.

As of Sunday, Britain had 278 confirmed cases of virus, including three deaths.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was on Monday chairing an emergency committee with scientific experts, with more stringent measures to delay spread of virus expected.

Culture minister Oliver Dowden did t identify any specific source for disinformation.

But he said preventing deliberate or inadvertent spread of false information was a "top priority", after several days of panic buying in supermarkets.

government will have "regular engment" with social media platforms to monitor and limit and its spread, he added.