clickbait title. Proposed new title:

"Coronavirus: British government makes contingency plan in case one fifth of UK workers 'off sick at same time' "

I took the BBC website title and added the word 'could' to make it clearer. Since then they've changed the title a couple times.

even the original title included _'could be'_ off sick,

...maybe sloppy editorializing when trying to fit title into an 80 char limit on HN.

Better that than 3/4 of your workers off sick at the same time because those 1/5 came in to work sick and spread it, I suppose. Though maybe that isn't how it works, and we'll find out in the US since people will generally have to work sick here whether they want to or not (due to our sick leave policies and health costs).

London pubs will be busy.