A man in his 60s has become the third person to die after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK.
The man, who had underlying health conditions, had recently returned from Italy.
The patient at North Manchester General Hospital is the third to die after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK.
A spokesman for North Manchester General Hospital said: "We can confirm that sadly a patient being treated for Covid-19 has died at our specialist regional infectious diseases unit at North Manchester General Hospital.
"The man in his 60s tested positive after travelling to Italy and had a number of underlying health problems. Our thoughts are with the patient's family who are being supported by our specialist bereavement staff."
Now authorities are beginning to contact people the man had been in touch with.
England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said: "I am very sorry to report that a third patient in England who tested positive for Covid-19 has sadly died. I offer my sincere condolences to their family and friends and ask that their privacy is respected.
"The patient, who was being treated at the North Manchester General Hospital, was over 60 years old and had significant underlying health conditions.
"They had recently travelled from an affected area. Contact tracing is already under way."
The news came hours after it was confirmed another two people had tested positive for coronavirus in Wales. Welsh health secretary Vaughan Gething also announced on Sunday that new emergency powers would allow for schools and colleges to potentially be closed in order to halt the outbreak if necessary.
