A further 12 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in England, taking the total of coronavirus patients in the country to 35.
Health Secratary Matt Hancock appeared on The Andrew Marr Show this morning and said that he wouldn't rule out lock downs in the country.
Hancock said: "There is clearly a huge economic and social downside to that but we don't take anything off the table at this stage.
"Because you've got to make sure that you have all of the tools available if that is what's necessary."
Three of the new confirmed cases were close contacts of a known case which as transmitted in the UK, chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty said.
One person from Essex is also said to have had "no relevant travel" and it is unclear how they have got the virus.
While six had recently returning from Italy and two had been to Iran.
The news comes after a guest at a Liverpool city centre hotel is currently self-quarantined in their hotel room after falling ill following a trip to Thailand.
According to a man who wants to remain anonymous, the guest has rang 111 and is currently waiting for a health professional to be sent out to assess him.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show an emergency "battle plan", drawn up for the "worst case scenario", includes banning big events, closing schools and dissuading people from using public transport.
Mr Hancock said there were four phases to the plan:
- Containment - caring for any infected people and identifying their close contacts
- Delay - deciding what actions to take to slow down the spread
- Mitigation - damage limitation if the virus spreads widely
- Research - constant and ongoing work to inform the three other phases
Currently, the UK is in the "containment" phase - which health leaders say may still be sufficient.
