Emergency planners say they have no intention of involving the military in their contingency arrangements for dealing with the escalating coronavirus crisis.

The Kent Resilience Forum, along with others in the UK, has been offered assistance to implement their plans to mitigate the impact of the continuing spread of the disease.

The KRF - which is made up of representatives of councils, the NHS and Kent Police - is responsible for drawing together a risk register, setting out the severity of the risks and proposals to limit the impact.

In a statement, the forum said: “The Kent Resilience Forum is aware of the government’s offer to provide military planners to Local Resilience Forums and can confirm that to date none of its partners has requested this assistance.”

The armed forces are reported to be preparing to send thousands of military medics to assist in NHS hospitals in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the government has announced planning rules are to be relaxed so pubs and restaurants can operate as hot food takeaways during the coronavirus outbreak.

Relaxation of planning measures will be introduced as soon as possible and will apply for a limited period

Currently, planning permission is required for businesses to carry out this change.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick MP said: “We are committed to doing everything we can to tackle the pandemic and support people, businesses and communities through this difficult time. These changes will provide vital flexibility to pubs and restaurants and will ensure people are able to safely stay at home while still supporting some of the great local businesses across this country.”

For the latest coronavirus news and advice, click here.