This is LBC from Global, leading Britain's conversation with James O'Brien.

It's three minutes after ten, and you are listening to James O'Brien on LBC where we return inevitably to the question of

coronavirus, what can be done and I suppose more easily what is being done. The tension between

people suggesting that it was all a big fuss over nothing and people who were suggesting that

we were all going to die seems to have dissipated

somewhat. People have got more important things to argue about today, like whether or not a

breakfast can be patriotic. But I find myself drawn to the, all right, if you don't, if you're

not on Twitter, I'll explain a little later about why that is probably the funniest thing

that's going to happen this

week. But nothing funny about the unfolding situation. I think that the, oh, calm down, dear,

lobby has calmed down, funnily enough, don't you? I don't, I could be wrong. Remember, I've only

got two eyes. Look at the world in exactly the same way that you do. but I don't think the, oh, it's all a big fuss about nothing.

Here's a three week old clipping from private eye position has gained any momentum. It seems,

if anything, to have lost momentum. Statistically, it remains a little bit difficult to get too alarmed, doesn't it?

And yet, when you look at what governments are doing, more so abroad than here at the moment,

although that seems set to change later today, then the reaction is alarming, almost more than the action.

Do you see what I mean?

Because if you say, what is it, 39 people now have been diagnosed with it in this country.

I mean, it's very easy to see that in the population of 60 odd million as entirely negligible.

But the problem, as I understand it, and forgive me if this gets filed under the bleeding obvious to you,

um, the problem is infection. So some of the numbers are actually staggering and talking about

if it takes hold, you're looking at 80% of the country contracting it, but the mortality rate

...