Britain Enlists an Army of Volunteers to Help Fight the Coronavirus

The government has recruited more than 400,000 people to care for senior citizens who have been told to stay at home for 12 weeks. LONDON — Two days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a lockdown on Britain to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the government has recruited an army of more than 400,000 volunteers to help elderly people quarantined in their homes, as well as the beleaguered public health system. The recruiting drive, which drew nearly twice its goal in less than 24 hours, was one of several rays of hope in a country that has been girding itself for an onslaught of infections. Officials also expressed guarded optimism that the National Health Service could cope with the flood of patients now that Britain has adopted the sweeping social-distancing measures of other European countries.

“This is going to be a close-run thing,” Chris Whitty, the country’s chief medical officer, said at a Downing Street news conference with Mr. Johnson. “This gap will probably be manageable by the N. H.

S. , but we can’t guarantee that. ” The statement was a striking turnaround from last week, when officials and outside experts warned that Britain was on a course to be the next Italy, with a growing number of cases that would hopelessly swamp hospitals. It was also evidence that Britain, which only grudgingly accepted the isolation measures of Italy, France and Spain, was pulling together to meet a national challenge.

The government moved to fix one of its weaknesses — widespread testing — by announcing plans to buy 3. 5 million test kits that would allow people to test themselves at home. The tests, which officials said would be available on Amazon or at Boots drugstores, would allow doctors and nurses to work more safely. None of these developments will spare Britain a harrowing few weeks, as the trajectory of cases rises steeply.

The country was rattled by news on Wednesday that Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and the heir to the throne, had tested positive for the virus and was suffering mild symptoms. Charles, 71, last met with the queen on March 12, only a day before medical experts said it was possible that he had become infectious with the virus. Buckingham Palace said the queen, 93, was healthy.