United Kingdom: at 3 p.m. this Sunday, an alarm will sound on all mobile phones

2023-04-23 11:55:12

At 3pm this Sunday, an alarm, like a siren, will sound on mobile phones in the UK: the government will test a new alert system which aims to warn the public in emergencies such as fires , floods or in the event of danger to life.

This alert system launched by the government is inspired by existing systems in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan. It will send messages to mobile phones to quickly warn the public in case of danger. The government assured that the device would be used in an exceptional way.

“Wherever you are, this Sunday at 3 p.m. (2 p.m. in France) you will receive the emergency alert,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted. “You will receive a message on the screen of your mobile phone, accompanied by a sound and a vibration for a maximum of ten seconds. You will have no action to take,” he added.

The 10 second alarm will ring even if the phones are in silent mode.

“What genius thought it was a good idea to terrify the whole country at 3 p.m.”

“Keep calm and carry on is just a test,” the government said in response to criticism, using the famous British motto from World War II.

The Daily Mail headlined on Tuesday: “What genius thought it was a good idea to terrify the whole country at 3pm on Sunday? “.

Motorists have been warned not to pick up their phones during the test, and people who don’t want to receive the alerts can turn them off in their device settings.

World Snooker Championship organizers have warned they will take a break just before 3pm to avoid the alert disrupting the competition, which is being held in Sheffield, northern England.

London theaters will ask spectators to turn off their phones so that the alarm does not sound in the middle of a show. Similar messages should be broadcast in cinemas.

For Judy Edworthy, international expert in alarm systems and professor of psychology at the University of Plymouth (south of England), the alert system is a positive development, even if its first broadcast may surprise. If, during the alert, “people look at their phones, read the message and act on it, we can say that it will have worked”, she told the British agency PA.