The U.K. is “now on an emergency footing,” as a doctor who tested positive for the coronavirus died, the first death of its kind in the country, a government official said on Sunday.

Axar.az informs that, underlining that putting the country on an emergency footing was “an unprecedented step in peacetime,” Robert Kenrick, the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, said: “We are establishing strategic coordination centers across the whole country.”

“Each centre is led by gold commanders. We're bringing together senior members of the emergency services - the police, the fire service, the ambulance service - with local authorities and the NHS to lead communities through this challenging period,” Kenrick added.