Don’t panic as Government tests Emergency Alert system on Sunday at 3pm

At 3 p.m. Sunday, millions of mobile phones and tablets will begin blaring a shrill alarm during a nationwide test of a new public warning system – disrupting some of the year’s biggest sporting and cultural events.

Spectators and theatergoers will be inconvenienced this weekend as devices in the UK make a loud noise and vibrate during crucial Premier League football matches, West End shows and the end of the London Marathon.

The peace at Evensong at Westminster Abbey is even disrupted by the test and the organizers of the World Snooker Championship have decided to suspend play at the Crucible in Sheffield just before 3pm.

The Society of London Theater (Solt) said it had shared government guidelines with its members, advising them to tell attendees to turn off their phones to ‘minimize disruption to shows’.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Wicked, Frozen, Mamma Mia! and The Lion King are among the shows that host matinees on Sundays.

Drivers have been warned it will be illegal to pick up their mobile phones during the test – punishable by a £200 fine – and domestic violence campaigners have warned that the test could put people at risk by revealing the location of secret phones which are hidden by those at risk . They have been urged to turn off those phones or change the settings before 3 p.m. Sunday.

The trial of the system, which aims to warn the public if there is a danger to life in the vicinity, lasts about 10 seconds. The system is intended for use in life-threatening situations, including floods and wildfires. Authorities have launched a campaign to make sure people know it’s a test, but there are concerns that many people will still panic if the alarm goes off.

At 3 p.m. Sunday, this message will appear on millions of cell phones across the country, along with a 10-second siren… even if the handsets are on silent mode

Turning off a cell phone or putting it in airplane mode prevents it from receiving Sunday’s alert. However, it is possible to permanently disable emergency alerts in the settings menu of Apple and Android handsets

LW Theaters, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s group of seven West End theatres, including the London Palladium, said it planned to make an announcement before the shows but had no plans to change matinee screening times.

The message will be received on 4G and 5G mobile phones along with sound and vibration for up to 10 seconds.

Phone users will be prompted to acknowledge the alert by swiping or clicking the message before continuing to use their device.

The system is modeled after similar schemes in the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan.

The St George’s Day test coincides with major events including the London Marathon and the 2pm Premier League kick-off between Bournemouth and West Ham, and Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur.

Officials said they have worked with the Football Association and marathon organizers to ensure the impact of the test will be limited.

People who don’t want to receive the alerts can opt out in their device settings, but officials hope the life-saving potential of the messages means users will leave them on.

The National Center for Domestic Violence (NCDV) warned people with concealed second cell phones to turn off the alerts to avoid revealing the location of their devices.

The government said it is actively working with organizations working with vulnerable women and girls to ensure they are not adversely affected by the introduction of emergency warnings.

Officials emphasized that it is easy to opt out of the system if people want to keep their phones hidden, either by disabling the alerts or turning off the phone during the test.

The AA said motorists may prefer to turn off their electronic devices for Sunday’s test, as laws banning the use of cellphones still apply.

Drivers caught with a phone behind the wheel face a six-point penalty and a fine of £200.

During a true emergency, a user’s phone will contain a phone number or a link to the government website where more information will be provided.

The alerts are sent to all phones connected to a local cell phone tower, meaning the messages can be targeted to small geographic areas, to provide information about events such as severe floods, fires or extreme measures.

Downing Street has stressed that only emergency services or government services, agencies and public bodies dealing with emergencies can issue alerts.

One of the events that may be disrupted is the Cazoo World Snooker Championships at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. Two games will resume on Sunday at 2:30 PM, 30 minutes before the scheduled warning

Newcastle United, pictured, take on Tottenham Hotspur

For those who don’t want to interrupt their Sunday afternoon, there are a few simple methods to keep your phone from disturbing the peace. The simplest is to turn off the handset before the scheduled alert.

Putting the handset in airplane mode also prevents the phone from vibrating.

Organizations representing female victims of domestic violence said they feared the warning could alert an abusive partner if a woman had a secret phone to keep in touch with friends and family without the man’s knowledge.

Those involved in the project believe the warning system would have been useful during last summer’s wildfires and several massive floods.

According to a government spokesperson, “You will get notifications based on your current location – not where you live or work. You don’t need to turn on location services to receive alerts.

If you get a notification, stop what you are doing and follow the instructions in the notification.

“If you don’t have a compatible device, you’ll still be notified of an emergency. The emergency services have other ways to warn you in the event of a mortal danger.

If you are visually or hearing impaired, sound and vibration alerts let you know you have an emergency alarm.

Emergency alerts are sent in English. In Wales they may also be sent in Welsh.

Oliver Dowden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said: ‘Emergency warnings have already been used successfully in a number of other countries, including the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan, where it is widely recognized for saving lives, for example during extreme weather events.

“In the UK, alerts can be used to inform residents of villages affected by bushfires or severe flooding.”

Westminster Abbey will hold an Evensong service at the same time as the warning

Visitors to cultural institutions like the National Gallery, pictured, are also likely to experience disturbances as phones vibrate and shrill during Sunday’s test

Alex Woodman, fire chief at the Fire Chief’s Council said: ‘The government has worked with the emergency services and partners, including the Football Association and London Marathon, to ensure that the national test has minimal impact on major events taking place on the day .

At every stage, the government has worked with organizations and charities representing vulnerable groups to ensure they are not adversely affected. Women and girls who are victims of domestic violence and have hidden phones can opt out of the national test by turning off Emergency Alerts in their phone settings or by turning off their phones.”

Emma Pickering, Senior Operations Tech Abuse Manager at Refuge, said: ‘The government has also worked with the transport industry and organizations such as Highways England to ensure that drivers are aware of the warning and that they are following normal rules as in the receiving a phone call. or message; that they don’t look or touch their phone until it’s safe to do so.

‘Emergency alerts will transform the UK’s warning and information capability; working with mobile broadcasting technology, it will provide a means to quickly send urgent messages to nearly 90 percent of mobile phones in a defined area when there is a danger to life, and provide clear instructions on how best to respond.

“The system will be used very rarely – it will only be sent if there is an immediate risk to people’s lives – so people may not receive a warning for months or years.”