Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty (front) arrives for a COBRA meeting at the Cabinet Office, in London, Britain on March 9, 2020. Earlier Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired a second meeting of the government's COBRA emergency committee to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)

LONDON, March 9  -- British government has set up a new cyber team to crack down on the spreading of novel coronavirus-related fake news on social media platforms, said the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Monday.

A team of experts from across the government have been brought in to form a new unit to "look at the potential extent, scope and impact of disinformation which is being spread on social media platforms," said the DCMS in a statement.

As part of this, the unit will hold discussions with social media companies over how they monitor interference and limit the spread of disinformation.

Announcing the unit, the DCMS said officials would be "working with strategic experts" to ensure the government is prepared to respond.

"Defending the country from misinformation and digital interference is a top priority," said Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden.

As of 9 a.m. (0900GMT) on Monday, 319 people in Britain have tested positive for the virus, up from 273 at the same point Sunday, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.

Earlier Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired a second meeting of the government's COBRA emergency committee to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak.

Following the meeting, a government spokesperson said Britain remains in the "containment" stage of its four-stage action plan to tackle the virus, rather than moving to the second stage which would see measures to delay its spread.

On Sunday, Britain reported its third coronavirus-related death.