Coronavirus: Number of UK cases rises to 273
The number of cases of coronavirus in the UK has risen to 273, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced, up from 209 yesterday.
In a tweet, it said that 23,513 people have been tested for the virus so far, with two of those who tested positive having died so far.
London has the highest proportion of the cases so far, with 29 in total, with the South East the second most affected with 24 cases.
The increase comes after new chancellor Rishi Sunak told the BBC that the NHS would get “whatever resources it needs” to tackle the spread of Covid-19.
Sunak was speaking ahead of next week’s Budget, which he said would address the outbreak. He added that business could take a “significant” hit from the virus, but that it would be “temporary”.
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This morning the government outlined a raft of emergency measures to restrict the spread of the disease, including allowing people to leave their jobs to act as voluntary carers for those who contact the illness.
The legislation could be introduced to parliament this month, the BBC reported.
The new figure comes as the Italian government last night placed up to 16m people in the country’s north in quarantine, banning travel in and out of Lombardy and 14 other provinces.
Globally, there are now more than 100,000 confirmed cases of the disease, with 3,400 deaths.
More to follow.