The new coronavirus represents a serious and imminent threat to public health, the UK’s health secretary declared. The step gave the government additional powers to fight the spread of the virus.
Eight people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK out of 1,114 tested. The figures were released by the chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, and meant the number of confirmed cases had doubled.
If you’d like to read more, my colleagues Denis Campbell and Frances Perraudin have the full story:
China’s Hubei province confirms a total of 31,728 cases of Coronavirus and 974 deaths by the end of today, the Reuters news agency reports. That number includes 103 new deaths and 2,097 new cases, according to the report.
A student at the University of Sussex is being tested after falling ill, the institution has said. A spokeswoman has told the Guardian:
We can confirm that a student on our campus has been admitted to hospital today for tests. A case of coronavirus has not been confirmed at this point.
The student had recently returned from overseas. We are following all Public Health England guidance in terms of practical next steps and we will be keeping our students and staff at the university informed if there are any developments.
This is a difficult time for the young person involved, and their fellow students, and we are concerned at making sure they are supported.
The Girls’ Schools Association has echoed legal experts’ advice to independent institutions to discourage their students from flying to China. The body even warned that people flying back in from south-east Asia could face quarantine upon their return to the UK. A spokeswoman has said:
We have recommended that our schools advise parents, carers and guardians of any pupils proposing to travel to south-east Asia over February half-term to consider not travelling.
We have also advised schools that, where possible, they should help to make suitable alternative arrangements with guardians.
In the case of students who decide to travel, we have recommended that schools advise them and their families that protective measures could well be in place before they return and that they prepare for the possibility of quarantine procedures.
In its guidance, the Boarding Schools’ Association says institutions must also consider the risk of any visits by parents or carers, avoiding “unnecessary restrictions” on anyone beyond the 14-day incubation period.
It says schools must ensure boarders are protected both on and off the premises, following reports of children being targeted on the basis of their ethnicity. China sends more pupils to UK fee-paying schools than any other country.
British Airways has extended the suspension of flights serving Chinese cities amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus.
On Monday, the airline said flights to and from Beijing and Shanghai had been cancelled until 31 March.
We are contacting customers on cancelled flights so we can discuss their travel options, including rebooking onto other carriers where possible, full refunds or booking with BA for a later date of travel.
Safety is at the heart of everything we do and we will keep the situation under review.
Virgin Atlantic extended the suspension of its flights to mainland China last week. The airline said flights on its Heathrow-Shanghai route would not be in operation until 28 March.
In the same statement, PHE revealed that two of the four new cases of coronavirus are healthcare workers.
Doyle added: “Two of these new cases are healthcare workers and as soon as they were identified, we advised them to self-isolate in order to keep patient contact to a minimum.
“We are now working urgently to identify all patients and other healthcare workers who may have come into close contact, and at this stage we believe this to be a relatively small number.”
On Monday afternoon, the BBC reported that a GP practice in Brighton had been temporarily closed after a staff member tested positive for the virus.
The government has declared coronavirus a serious and imminent threat to public health, while eight people have tested positive for it in the UK overall.
New UK cases are 'closely linked', PHE official says
Four of the confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK are all closely linked to one another, Public Health England has confirmed.
It was revealed earlier on Monday that three men and one woman had been transferred from where they were diagnosed in Brighton to London over the weekend in order to receive specialist care.
Yvonne Doyle, medical director for PHE, said: “As a result of our contact tracing we now know the new cases announced today are all closely linked to one another.
“Our priority has been to speak to those who have close and sustained contact with confirmed cases, so we can advise them on what they can do to limit the spread of the virus.
The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said recent cases of coronavirus reported in France and the UK could “be the spark that becomes a bigger fire”.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ comments came after a British man, who caught the virus at a conference in Singapore, was linked with other cases in the European countries.
Eight people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, while five British nationals tested positive in France following the Sussex businessman’s trip to a French ski resort.
Ghebreyesus told a press conference: “In recent days we have seen some concerning instances of onward transmission from people with no travel history to China, like the cases reported in France yesterday and the UK today.
“The detection of this small number of cases could be the spark that becomes a bigger fire. But for now, it’s only a spark. Our objective remains containment.
“We call on all countries to use the window of opportunity we have to prevent a bigger fire.”
More than 50 people in Scotland have been tested for coronavirus, latest figures have revealed.
Although statistics published on Monday showed all 57 people had returned negative results, the country’s chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood warned there was a “high likelihood” a patient would test positive for the virus in the future.
In a statement on its website, the Scottish government said: “The Scottish Government’s approach is guided by the Chief Medical Officer and we continue to monitor the situation closely and to work with the World Health Organisation and international community.”
Laboratories at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh have been set up to test patients in Scotland for the virus. The number of people they have tested has risen by 16 since Sunday.
Across the UK, a total of 1,114 people have been tested for coronavirus.
A school in Southampton has been closed after students were put in isolation over coronavirus fears.
St Mary’s Independent School in Bitterne Park is on lockdown, and pupils have been evacuated, according to the Bournemouth Echo.
Some of the children at the school were reportedly struck down with symptoms similar to those of the virus, and put in isolation after being assessed by medical professionals at Southampton General Hospital.
St Mary’s, which is in contact with Public Health England, will remain closed for deep cleaning.
The Echo reported a statement sent to parents from headteacher Claire Charlemagne said: “I am sorry to inform you that a family with children at the prep and senior departments who have recently travelled to the region affected by coronavirus have developed symptoms similar to those presenting with the coronavirus, and having been checked by medical professionals at Southampton General Hospital have been placed in isolation.”
Hi, I’m Amy Walker, taking over the live blog from my colleague Aamna Mohdin.
The Chinese gadget manufacturer, TCL communication, has become the latest company to make cutbacks to its planned presence at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) amid the coronavirus crisis.
The company has said it would still have a booth on the tech show’s floor, but would no longer hold a press conference.
Sony and Amazon are among the other phone makers to have withdrawn from the event – which will be held in Barcelona later this month – in recent days, citing concerns about the spread of the virus. Ericsson, LG and Nvidia have also pulled out of the show.
In a statement, TCL said: “Given the recent global health concerns due to the spread of the 2019-nCoV virus, and out of an abundance of caution and care for our staff, customers, press and other guests, TCL Communication is cancelling its global press event for MWC 2020, which was planned for 22 February 2020.
“This decision does not impact any other MWC 2020 activities planned by the company and TCL will still announce its latest mobile devices and showcase them at its booth in the Fira Gran Via - Hall 3, Stand 3D11 - from 24-27 February as scheduled.”
A UK law firm that specialises in private education has said independent schools should discourage students from flying to China and consider keeping their boarding house open and staffed during the half-term break.
Vicky Wilson, Senior Associate in the Education practice at Wilsons, said:
Pupils from China and Hong Kong make up the biggest single group of overseas student in the UK’s independent schools. Coronavirus is something every school must address this week.
The Foreign Office has advised people in the UK to avoid all but essential travel to China and independent schools must reinforce that to pupils and their families.
Missing a family reunion is hard on everyone but it is preferable to pupils risking their education being seriously disrupted by Coronavirus and its fallout.
Wilsons Solicitors have listed six things all independent schools should be doing ahead of the holiday.
Talk to students and families about whether it’s necessary to go back to China
If Chinese pupils stay in the UK, ensure they have guardianship arrangements in place
Consider keeping your boarding house open and staffed during the holiday
Have a staff member at the school responsible for communicating with pupils and families
If students do travel to China, ensure medical staff at the school are trained to spot Coronavirus symptoms
Ensure children can still study if they have to enter quarantine
