STORY:
Britains Get Y2K Anti Panic Handbook

Twenty-six million households will receive government handbook to ease Y2K fears

In an enormous effort to ease fears related to Y2K related computer failures, all of Britain's 26 million households will be receiving an official computer Y2K bug 'anti-panic' handbook from the Government in November. The glossy 24-page booklet will go out in the first or second weeks of November, making it the bulkiest national Government doordrop in living memory according to This Is London.

Government officials believe the fear of Y2K related problems will cause more turmoil than the computer problems themselves. They will urge members of the public to keep the booklet to hand for reference during the New Year's Eve period.

As well as busting some of the more lurid myths about the effects of the Y2K bug, the booklet, which is costing at least £5 million ($8million US) to produce and distribute, will include helpline numbers for the major utilities and public service providers. It will also urge people not to stockpile food or worry about their household electrical goods blowing up or planes falling out of the sky.

Although Government national doordrops are not uncommon - there are two a year on average - the majority relate to elections and the electoral roll. Only rarely does the Government regard an issue as so pressing that it justifies the expense of a blanket distribution.

Source: This Is London

DATE: 10/8/99

For more E2000 stories, click here:
news | events | Y2K | today's news