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The spread of coronavirus in the UK is “likely”, the PM has said, but a plan has been agreed to tackle it.
Boris Johnson said people “should go about business as usual” at the moment, adding that the UK was “well prepared” and further details would be announced in the coming days and weeks.
It comes as the number of cases in the UK rose by four to 40 on Monday.
Meanwhile, the EU has raised the coronavirus risk level in member states to “moderate to high”.
The four new UK cases had all travelled to Italy, which has seen the largest outbreak in Europe, England’s chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty said.
They are from Hertfordshire, Devon and Kent and tracing their contacts has begun.
What do I need to know about the coronavirus?
- WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? A simple guide
- WAYS TO PREVENT CATCHING IT: How to wash your hands
- WHERE ARE WE WITH A VACCINE? Progress so far
- A VISUAL GUIDE TO THE OUTBREAK: Virus maps and charts
- WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR MY HOLIDAY? Your rights as a traveller
A panel of experts and BBC reporters will be answering your questions about the coronavirus outbreak in a special programme on BBC One at 19:30 GMT on Monday
The prime minister said earlier that ministers had agreed a plan – to be published on Tuesday – to “contain the spread of the disease as far as we can, and to protect the most vulnerable”.
Speaking after a meeting of the government’s emergency committee Cobra, Mr Johnson advised that “the single most useful thing” people could do was wash their hands “two times to Happy Birthday with hot water”.
“It’s very important that people should continue [doing] that and they should go about business as usual,” he said.
He added that closing schools and banning mass gatherings would only be taken on scientific advice.
- How have you been affected by the spread of Covid-19? Share your experience by emailinghaveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson later confirmed that schools “should stay open unless they’re advised otherwise by Public Health England”.
The Budget will go ahead as planned on 11 March, despite the impact of the outbreak on the UK and global economy, Downing Street said.
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Elsewhere, Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned the region should prepare for a “significant outbreak” of coronavirus.
There has so far been one confirmed case in Scotland, involving a patient who had recently travelled to Italy. Ms Sturgeon said that future cases were likely in the “days to come”.
Earlier, Public Health England (PHE) said widespread transmission of coronavirus in the UK was now “highly likely”.
Medical director Prof Paul Cosford said the increase in cases in the UK and abroad meant the UK must be prepared.
If the outbreak worsens, the government has said measures could include asking newly retired doctors and nurses to return to the NHS.
People could also be urged to work from home – and closing schools and cancelling major public events have also not been ruled out.
Legislation allowing the government to use extra powers to help control the spread of the virus is expected to go through Parliament by the end of March.
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Meanwhile, more British holidaymakers stuck in a quarantined hotel in Tenerife are preparing to return home after testing negative for the virus.
About 25 Britons have already left the hotel, but 150 others are now in their seventh day at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace after a group of Italians contracted the virus.
Travel firm Tui confirmed 17 of its customers were flown back to the UK on two separate flights to Bristol and Newcastle on Sunday night.
The company’s remaining 19 guests will be flown home on Tuesday, subject to their test results, a spokeswoman said.
Travel operator Jet2holidays said its customers would be travelling back to the UK on a dedicated flight on Monday afternoon.
Once home, they must isolate themselves until the original quarantine period ends on 10 March.
In other developments:
- British Airways has cancelled hundreds of flights between 6 March and 28 March over the outbreak, including flights from London Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports
- Ryanair has also reduced the number of flights on some routes, in particular to and from Italy, by up to 25% due to a drop in demand
- London hospitality body UK Hospitality, which represents hotels, venues and restaurants has told BBC London that its members in the capital are currently seeing a 10-15% reduction in bookings
- Northern Ireland pubs have lost hundreds of thousands of pounds while feeling the “pain” of the coronavirus crisis, an industry chief has claimed
- Amazon has pulled out of London Book Fair, which is scheduled to begin on 10 March
Where are the latest UK cases?
There are now 37 cases of coronavirus in England, and one case each in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
On Monday, North East London NHS Foundation Trust confirmed a case of coronavirus at Vinters Business Park – home to Maidstone Studios and an office suite used by the trust. Staff at the trust are working from home.
ITV Meridian, which uses Maidstone Studios, has also sent home staff who were at the site last week.
In Hertfordshire, Davenport House Surgery in Harpenden said a patient has been diagnosed with the virus, while the parent of a child at Peartree Spring Primary School in Stevenage has also tested positive.
Over the weekend, three cases in England were linked to a man from Surrey, who was the first patient not to have been abroad recently and was instead infected within the UK.
Another new patient, from Essex, had also not recently travelled to an infected area.
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There was also one case in Greater Manchester, three in West Yorkshire and two patients in Hertfordshire.
A health worker at an NHS cancer centre in Middlesex is among the cases, as is a staff member at Wimbledon College in south-west London, which has closed for deep cleaning.
Another new case is from Gloucestershire and linked to a member of staff at St Mary’s Primary School, Tetbury, who was identified on Saturday.
A man who had been working in Bristol has also tested positive for the virus in Shenzhen, China, after flying from London to Hong Kong on Thursday, according to the Health Commission of Guangdong Province.
As of 09:00 GMT on Monday, the Department of Health said a total of 13,525 people had been tested in the UK, of which 13,485 were negative.
Globally, about 86,000 people have been infected, with cases in more than 50 countries. More than 3,000 people have died – the vast majority in China’s Hubei province, where the outbreak originated in December.
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