The new coronavirus 'alert system' looks just like the Nando's Peri-ometer and it's making people hungry

Boris Johnson’s speech last night featured a handful of eye catching graphics, some of which made very little sense.

During the speech, Johnson announced which lockdown measures would be eased in the coming weeks, with a couple of visual aids.

One of them was the Covid-19 alertness scale, which went from five to one, with red being the most severe situation (with a materisal risk of overwhelming the NHS), and green being the level at which Covid-19 was not present in the population anymore.

Among many other elements of Johnson’s speech, people on social media were quick to point out the startling similarities between the Alert system and another iconic British institution – the Nando’s ‘Peri-o’meter’.

Memes about the similarities started to spread fairly quickly too. The Peri-ometer, currently resigned to the depths of memory, has five levels – with Xtra hot as the most spicy, and XTRA mild as the least. Some people pointed out that it had been so long since they went to Nando’s that just the sight of the Covid Alert system made them a little hungry.

Another Twitter user suggested that Johnson may have been trying to communicate something, but that he was just trying to tell the UK what his Nando’s order usually was.

The level of alert that we’re on is determined by the R number, the rate of infection, as well as the number of coronavirus cases in the UK. Currently, Johnson’s advice has led to confusion as various members of his cabinet have attempted to clarify his remarks.