The health secretary has warned coronavirus poses an "increasingly serious" threat to the UK, as he announced the number of confirmed cases of the disease in the country has risen to 51.
Matt Hancock told MPs it was "becoming more likely that we will see widespread transmission here in this country," a prospect which ministers warned on Tuesday could lead to an increase in deaths among the vulnerable and elderly.
The government has published its plan to tackle a mass outbreak, which could lead to the army being drafted in to enforce isolation, police services responding only to serious crimes and the NHS being forced to discharge patients and cancel operations. A fifth of employees could potentially be absent from work at one time, according to government predictions.
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Authorities tracking people who had contact with confirmed coronavirus cases
Dr Will Welfare of Public Health England North West said in a written statement: "Public Health England is contacting people who had close contact with three cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Greater Manchester. Two of the cases are residents of Bury.
"As a result of contact tracing we know the new Bury cases announced today are known contacts of the previously confirmed case from Bury.
"The third case is a resident of Bolton which is not linked to the two cases in Bury announced today. The Bolton resident became infected whilst in Italy.
"Close contacts will be given health advice about symptoms and emergency contact details to use if they become unwell in the 14 days after contact with the confirmed cases. This tried and tested method will ensure we are able to minimise any risk to them and the wider public."
New UK cases had all travelled from abroad
Professor Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, said: “As of 9am this morning, 12 further patients in England have tested positive for Covid-19.
“Eight patients had recently travelled from Italy, one from Germany, one from Singapore, one from Japan and one from Iran. The patients are from London, Hampshire, Northamptonshire, Bury, Wirral, Greater Manchester, Humberside and Kent.
"All are being investigated and contact tracing has begun.
“The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 48. Following previously reported confirmed cases in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, the total number of UK cases is 51.”
Sweden records nine new cases
Sweden has nine new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections, taking the total to 24, the country's Public Health Agency said.
In the majority of confirmed cases in Sweden, the infection can be traced to Italy, Swedish radio reported.
Yesterday, the health authority raised its assessment of the risk of a widespread outbreak in Sweden to "moderate" from "low", and the risk of imported cases and of Swedish citizens being infected abroad to "very high" from "high".
Mayor of London calls on Boris Johnson to explain 'odd' decision to exclude him from Cobra meeting
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has called on Boris Johnson to explain his "odd" decision not to involve him in planning to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus.
After launching his re-election campaign, the Labour mayor told reporters: "Dealing with the coronavirus is more important than party politics and it's really important we put aside petty differences and all work together.
"I will be looking at what the government's announcement is, I don't know what they are.
"It just seems a bit odd for the government not to include us when it comes to either Cobra or when it comes to planning and preparation.
"It's for the government to explain why they want to exclude us."
Federal Reserve cuts interest rate in bid to stop coronavirus tanking US economy
The US Federal Reserve has announced it will cut interest rates by a half percentage point in an emergency move meant to combat potential economic impacts from the global spread of the deadly coronavirusQueen wears large gloves amid outbreak
The Queen has been pictured wearing large white gloves during an investiture at Buckingham Palace, which she does not normally do, Olivia Petter reports.
Queen wears large gloves at palace ceremony amid ongoing coronavirus outbreak
The 93-year-old monarch does not normally wear gloves at the ceremonyChildren playing 'coronavirus game'
Schoolchildren are playing the "coronavirus game", as public conversation continues to be dominated by fears around the spread of the illness.
One mother described it as "heartbreaking" that this is the reality in her daughter's central London primary school, and another said she believed it is how children are attempting to "process current affairs and fears".
BBC Asia Pacific editor Celia Hatton said the game had been explained to a fellow parent by a pupil who said it involves being sent to an area of the playground "for the rest of lunchtime with no human rights".
Describing the message she had been sent, she told the BBC's global news podcast: "The parent said 'How was school' and the kid says 'Great, we played coronavirus' and the parent says 'what's that?' and the kid says 'You breathe on people and they have to be locked in the zone' - that's the climbing frame at the school playground - 'for the rest of lunchtime with no human rights'.
"So this is what children are actually playing in central London. I mean it's funny but it's also kind of heartbreaking that this is the case."
She said there is a "real problem" with children of Asian ethnicity being "shunned" in schools around the world as a result of the virus, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Cheshire school closes after parent tests positive for coronavirus
A high school in the Wirral in Cheshire has closed "for precautionary measures" after a parent of one of its students tested positive for the coronavirus.
Hilbre High School shared a letter sent to parents informing them that "prior to confirmation that the parent had contracted the virus, a child of the parent attended school yesterday".
Headteacher Mark Bellamy said: "Hilbre High School will reopen when I am confident that there is no risk to students following today's coronavirus confirmation. Once I know the outcome to tests done on the students concerned, I will then be able to make an informed decision about when to reopen."
The school added that the decision had been made despite not being formally announced by the chief medical officer for England.
National advice says schools should not close in response to suspected or confirmed cases of the virus unless directed to do so by Public Health England.
Government increases number of 111 call handlers
Mr Hancock said the government has increased the number of 111 call handlers by 500 and said as of 11am today "10 schools are closed".
He added a wider communications campaign will be launched on Wednesday and the government are "currently engaged with just over a dozen companies to try to come up with a bedside test".
Questioned on dwindling supplies of hand sanitising gel and whether the UK will have enough supplies of paracetamol, Mr Hancock replied: "Our no-deal planning and our no-deal stockpiles are playing an important part in making sure we are fully prepared and ready."
Pushed on his earlier remark that "reacting too early carries its own risk" by Labour MP Hilary Benn (Leeds Central), Mr Hancock said: "I'd highlight two. The first is that there is an economic and social impact of disruption - if an action has no medical benefit then there is no need for that disruption.
"But the second is a medical risk which is that behavioural science and experience from previous similar such outbreaks shows that if you ask people to do things too early which are disruptive to their normal life then they may try to return to normal earlier than they otherwise would."
People should not be concerned about shaking hands, health secretary says
Mr Hancock said people should not be concerned about shaking hands with each other, but stressed the importance of washing hands properly.
Replying to the SNP, Mr Hancock said: "The medical advice on shaking hands is the impact of shaking hands is negligible - what really matters is washing your hands.
"So our public health advice will remain clear and based on that science, which is what matters more than anything else is that people wash their hands for 20 seconds or more using soap and preferably hot water. That is the core of the public health advice."
Mr Hancock reiterated people do not need to work from home at the moment, adding: "But we don't rule out doing so in the future when that might be more effective clinically given the disruption that it could cause."
Coronavirus apps let people avoid high-risk locations in South Korea
People in South Korea are turning to smartphone apps to help them avoid areas infected by the coronavirus, reports Anthony Cuthbertson:
People in South Korea are using apps to avoid coronavirus-hit areas
The IndependentUsers alerted if they are within 100m of where people infected with Covid-19 have visited'We may not be able to contain this virus indefinitely'
Matt Hancock has told the Commons the government's approach is to "prepare for the worst and work for the best".
He told MPs the response remained in the containment phase but "if the number of global cases continues to rise, especially in Europe, the scientific advice is that we may not be able to contain this virus indefinitely".
The health secretary added: "Contain is about detecting the early cases, following up with close contacts, preventing the disease from taking hold in this country for as long as reasonably possible.
"This approach also buys time for the NHS to ramp up its preparations.
"We prepare for the worst and work for the best. We commit to ensuring that the agencies responsible for tackling this outbreak are properly resourced, have the people, equipment and the medicine they need and that any new laws they need are brought forward as and when required."
Coronavirus threat 'increasingly serious', health secretary tells MPs
Matt Hancock said the threat of coronavirus to the UK is "increasingly serious" but insisted the government and the health service are "well-prepared".
In a Commons statement, he said: "The situation facing the country is increasingly serious.
"Globally and at home the number of cases continues to rise.
"As of 9am today there were 51 confirmed cases in the UK and it's becoming more likely that we will see widespread transmission here in this country."
UK cases increase to 51
The number of people diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK has risen to 51, health secretary Matt Hancock has said.
That is an increase on 12 since yesterday.
Government tells 'gig economy' workers to claim universal credit if coronavirus forces them to stay at home
The UK government has been criticised for telling workers on zero-hours contracts to claim universal credit if coronavirus forces them to stay at home.
Shadow employment rights secretary Rachael Maskell has raised concerns about the impact of the disease on employees in insecure work, who are unlikely to receive sick pay and could "have to choose between health and hardship".
Business secretary Alok Sharma responded: "For those who do not qualify for statutory sick pay, including those who are self-employed, they may be able to claim universal credit, and or, new-style employment and support allowance."
That would involve a wait of up to five weeks for payments to come through.
Alex Sobel, a Labour MP who had to self-isolate for two weeks last month because of the virus, said the advice was "outrageous", while unions said staff "need to know they have enough money to feed their families and pay rent".
My colleague Rob Merrick has the full story:
Japan confirms six new cases
Six more people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in Japan, Kyodo newswire is reporting.
Five of the new cases are patients aged between their sixties and eighties in the central city of Nagoya.
A woman in her fifties has also been diagnosed with the virus in Kyoto. She had visited a music venue in Osaka that has been the source of several infections, Kyodo reported.
23 Iranian MPs infected
Twenty-three Iranian MPs have so far been diagnosed with coronavirus, prompting calls for politicians to avoid contact with the public.
The figure amounts to about 8 per cent of members of Iran's parliament.
MP Abdolreza Mesri told state TV that colleagues should avoid the public out of fear of passing on the disease.
There have been 2,336 cases of coronavirus in the Islamic Republic, and 77 deaths.
Iran's head of emergency medical services diagnosed with disease
The head of Iran's emergency medical services, Pirhossein Kolivand, has contracted coronavirus, the ILNA news agency has reported.
Mr Kolivand's "health is good and there is no need for concern", his office said in a statement.
Bank of England governor Mark Carney gives a statement on coronavirus
South Korea reports 600 new cases
South Korea has reported 600 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths from the virus, taking total infections to 4,812, the Korea Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention said.
