The British government will test a new warning system aimed at alerting the public to emergency situations such as fire, flooding or life-threatening situations.
This government-initiated warning system is inspired by existing systems in the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan. It will send messages to mobile phones to quickly alert the public in case of danger. The government assured that the device would be used in an exceptional manner.
“Wherever you are, you will receive an emergency alert this Sunday at 3:00 PM (4:00 PM HB),” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted. “You will receive a message on your mobile phone screen with sound and vibration for a maximum of ten seconds. You will not take any action,” he added.
A 10-second alarm sounds even if the phones are in silent mode.
“Keep calm and carry on” is just a test,” the government said in response to criticism, using a famous British motto from World War II.
Tuesday’s Daily Mail headlined: “What genius thought it was a good idea to scare the whole country at 3:00pm on a Sunday afternoon? “.
Motorists are warned not to pick up their phones during the test, and those who don’t want to receive alerts can turn them off in their device settings.
London theaters will ask audience members to turn off their phones so the alarm doesn’t go off in the middle of a show. Similar messages should be shown in theatres.
