Coronavirus could be capable of passing from a mother to her baby inside the womb, doctors fear, after a newborn tested positive for the disease just 30 hours after birth.
It came as cruise ship passengers were quarantined in Japan after 10 people aboard were found to be infected with coronavirus. Some 3,700 passengers and crew are now locked down on the Diamond Princess, including a number of Britons.
Hundreds of people are being held aboard another cruise ship in Hong Kong, where medical staff are demanding leader Carrie Lam completely close the border with China.
In the UK, The Independent can exclusively reveal that NHS hospitals have been ordered to create secure coronavirus testing areas to keep pressure off A&E departments.
While the professor leading the NHS’s coronavirus response claimed the measures were “appropriate” to ensure daily services were not affected, Dr Bharat Pankhania at the University of Exeter said the pods “could raise the risk of infection” as a result of “all sorts of issues about ventilation and air clearance”.
In the letter obtained by this paper, NHS 2019-nCoV lead, Professor Keith Willet, said the pods would need to be decontaminated in line with Public Health England guidance after every patient.
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Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of coronavirus.
Brits on Japan ship
Britons aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship which is quarantined in Japan say they have been told not to leave their cabins for any reason.
David Abel, 74, told Sky News: "We are very lucky not to be in one of the inside cabins. Here, we have a balcony, we can have the door open, we've got the warmth of the sunshine and we've got fresh air."
New UK diagnosis
A Belgian woman who was on board a flight returning UK citizens from the coronavirus-stricken city of Wuhan has tested positive for the deadly virus, Public Health England has confirmed, writes Vincent Wood.
Belgium’s health agency said the woman was one of nine of its citizens to board the British flight back to Europe, which carried passengers from 30 other countries.
Some 11 UK citizens and family members on the flight were then flown on to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
Belgian woman on flight from Wuhan with Britons tests positive for coronavirus
All of the individuals who were on this flight are currently in supervised isolation and are being monitored for symptomsCome home, says Hancock
Matt Hancock has urged thousands of UK citizens in China to buy commercial flights back to Britain amid the coronavirus outbreak. "We want to take no chances," he told the BBC's Breakfast programme.
Asked if all those people would be quarantined, the health secretary said he advised anyone returning to self-isolate if they have symptoms and call NHS 111.
He said that "we keep ... under consideration" the fact that flights from mainland China, excluding Wuhan, are still arriving in the UK. He added: "The current likelihood of getting a case of coronavirus in Wuhan itself is much, much higher than in the rest of China."
Mr Hancock added: "Because of that difference in risk we think it's appropriate that if you're brought back by the government, because there are no flights out of Wuhan, then you need to go into quarantine, but we recommend that people come back from the rest of China and that they don't go to China unless it's absolutely essential - and then they should self-isolate [if they have symptoms]."
Wash your hands, says health secretary
"The most important thing to do" if you want to take every precaution in trying to prevent the spread of disease, the health secretary said, "is to wash your hands and if you have a cough and a sneeze, use a tissue".
Call 111
Scientists believe the likelihood of people carrying the virus but not showing symptoms being able to pass on the infection is low, Mr Hancock told the BBC.
"The tests don't really work on people who don't have symptoms," he added. "The key is that as soon as people do have symptoms, however mild, then that is the moment to call 111 and to go home, and stay home, until you've spoken to a clinician."
Cash boost
The UK's contribution to the search for a coronavirus vaccine has risen to £40m, Mr Hancock said.
All-clear
The British man who fell ill on the second evacuation flight from China has tested negative for coronavirus, Matt Hancock says - but he's staying in quarantine for the full two weeks because the tests don't work until symptoms show up.
New evacuation flight
Ministers are preparing to charter a final evacuation flight from Wuhan to the UK.
The plane is expected to leave in the early hours of Sunday morning local time and will land at RAF Brize Norton, the Foreign Office said.
British citizens in Hubei province should contact diplomatic staff to register for the flight.
Impact on Tokyo 2020
The chief organiser of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has warned that the coronavirus outbreak may throw "cold water over the growing momentum" of the games.
"I am seriously concerned. I hope this will be resolved as soon as possible," Toshiro Muto said at a meeting in Tokyo with the organisers of the Paralympic Games.
Second ship
Hong Kong is testing some 1,800 passengers and crew aboard a cruise ship and is not allowing anyone to disembark without permission.
The World Dream ship, operated by Dream Cruises, was denied entry in the southern Taiwan port of Kaohsiung on Tuesday. On Monday, the ship visited Taiwan's Keelung port.
Emotional toll
A Hong Kong man who is aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship - quarantined in Yokohama, Japan - has told of his fears for the quarantine period.
The 43-year-old is in a windowless cabin with his wife and son, he told Reuters. "I am not looking forward to the range of emotions in the next two weeks," he said. "Will deal as they come."
Health secretary makes first TV appearance since outbreak
Matt Hancock says the government is "taking no chances" with the virus.
Matt Hancock says the government is "taking no chances" with the virus.
Oil woes
The tentacles of the coronavirus have embraced the oil market, and Opec seems set to decide on an emergency cut in oil production to offset a collapse in demand from China, writes Hamish McRae.
The oil market gives a snapshot of what is happening to the world economy, and in particular to world trade. Airlines cutting their flights to China have an immediate impact on aircraft fuel, but that is just an early sign of wider pressure.
If factories in China shut down production, they will use less power. Many products use petroleum as a feedstock. If fewer goods are being produced, fewer ships will be needed to carry those goods around the world. So demand for bunker fuel declines.
Hamish McRae: Opec's discussions over coronavirus prove the global impact of the crisis
This will give another push to the trend of businesses attempting to simplify their manufacturing processes, writes Hamish McRaeRussia repatriations
Russia has repatriated its first batch of citizens from Wuhan.
A group of 78 people flew to a camp in Siberia where they will be quarantined for two weeks.
In all, Russia plans to bring back 144 people, including 16 nationals of ex-Soviet countries, from China's Hubei province, where the virus was first detected late last year. A second military plane is due to land in Tyumen later in the day.
Get out if you can
Amid the growing coronavirus outbreak, the Foreign Office is now warning: “If you’re in China and able to leave, you should do so. The elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions may be at heightened risk.”
British citizens have plenty of options for leaving the People’s Republic, writes Simon Calder. These are the key questions and answers.
Everything Britons need to know about leaving China amid coronavirus outbreak
China’s main three airlines are still flying from China to EuropeMalaysian infections
Two Malaysian citizens flown back from Wuhan have tested positive for coronavirus, the nation says. Twelve people there are now infected.
Malaysia sent a flight to Wuhan on Monday to bring back more than 100 of its citizens who were stranded.
New Hong Kong total
There are 21 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Hong Kong, the city's leader Carrie Lam has said.
A man onboard a flight falsely claimed he had coronavirus, forcing the plane to turn around, writes Helen Coffey.
The WestJet service had been en route to Montego Bay, Jamaica, from Toronto, Canada, when the 29-year-old Canadian national announced he had the deadly virus, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 400 people.
“A male was causing a disturbance on the flight, saying he had been to China and had the coronavirus,” a police spokeswoman told Reuters.
Man pretends to have coronavirus mid-flight, forcing plane to turn around
Passenger charged with ‘mischief’Recoveries
It remains the case that far more people have recovered from coronavirus than have died. The tally stands at 942 recoveries against 493 deaths, according to a tracker run by the elite John Hopkins University.
