Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has called for a daily televised press conference on coronavirus to be introduced.
He said the briefings should be led by chief medical officer Chris Whitty.
Mr Burnham tweeted that the nation needs to hear 'more from the chief medical officer and less from the politicians'.
His calls come amid growing fears around the threat of the virus - which has so far claimed the lives of 21 people in the UK.
There have been more than 1,000 confirmed cases nationwide.
Uncertainty around the virus has led to panic buying in supermarkets, and concerns that schools are being kept open.
In his tweet, put up just before 10am, Mr Burnham said: "I’ve been broadly supportive of the Government’s response up to now. So there is no politics here.
"But we’ve hit the point where we need a daily televised press conference led by the chief medical officer.
"This needs to be put in place from today."
Mr Burnham explained his argument in a Twitter thread.
His concerns were raised after he saw Health Secretary Matt Hancock writing for a 'favoured newspaper' behind a paywall.
"It was lifted not long after - but still. And then, this morning, press briefings appear about draconian plans under development", he tweeted.
His calls for more transparency were echoed by Wigan MP and Labour leadership candidate Lisa Nandy.
In a tweet, she wrote: "The Government's failure to communicate its strategy is causing real panic in the public.
"We need far more information so the public can have confidence and action to protect those who are higher risk."
Mr Burnham drew on his own experiences as Health Secretary in 2009 during the outbreak of swine flu in his Twitter thread.
He said a decision was made for the chief medical officer at the time, Liam Donaldson, to 'front all media activity'.
"It was the right decision. From then on, everything became a bit calmer. And my time as Health Secretary was spent less on fighting media storms and more on plans for the vaccine."
On Sunday morning, Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the government would be asking people over 70 to self-isolate in an interview on Sky News.
He said the government will be asking elderly people to quarantine themselves at home for up to four-months in a bid to protect them from the virus.
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