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Exercise PEGASUS – Pandemic Preparedness
16 September 2025
Type
Written Ministerial Statement
Department
Department of Health and Social Care
At a Glance
Issue Summary
The statement confirms the commencement of Exercise PEGASUS, a national pandemic preparedness exercise.
Action Requested
On September 18th, Exercise PEGASUS will begin to assess the UK's ability to respond to a pandemic. The exercise involves all government departments and devolved governments and is set to take place from September to November 2025 with additional recovery phases in 2026.
Key Facts
- A pandemic remains the top risk on the UK’s National Risk Register.
- Exercise PEGASUS will be the largest ever simulation of a pandemic in UK history.
- The exercise involves every Government Department, Devolved Governments, Arms-Length Bodies, and Local Resilience Fora.
- Core exercise days are confirmed for 18 September, 9 October, and 30 October, simulating emergence, containment, mitigation phases.
- A recovery phase is planned for 2026.
- The UK Government has committed to communicating findings through a post-exercise report.
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