In the UK,the text messages of the former health minister were leaked:We frighten the pants off everyone with the new strain

The government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic has been thrust into the spotlight after the leak to the Daily Telegraph of more than 100,000 private WhatsApp messages of Matt Hancock.

Hancock told aides he wanted to “frighten the pants off everyone” to ensure compliance with Covid-19 restrictions.
The then health secretary and others discussed how to use an announcement about the Alpha, or “Kent”, variant of the virus to scare the public into changing their behaviour.

In a WhatsApp conversation on 13 December 2020, Damon Poole, one of Hancock’s media advisers, said Tory MPs were “furious already about the prospect” of stricter Covid measures and suggested “we can roll pitch with the new strain”.
Hancock replied: “We frighten the pants off everyone with the new strain.” Poole said in agreement: “Yep that’s what will get proper bahviour [sic] change.”

It is noted that the minister also spoke with other colleagues about this issue, they had a discussion on the psychological factor as well, for example, what calls and words should be chosen in the appeal to the population to influence them and lead to the desired behavior and the desired result.