Person 'tried to leave' coronavirus quarantine at Arrowe Park sparking 'imminent threat'

A person reportedly threatened to "abscond" in Arrowe Park Hospital sparking an 'imminent threat'.

This morning, has declared coronavirus a "serious and imminent threat" to public health.

There are now four confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.

A source told the Mirror the reason emergency regulations were made was because an unknown person threatened to "abscond" from Arrowe Park.

A source said this very specific issue - and not the coronavirus itself - is what the government deemed an "imminent threat" this morning. It is not known why the person threatened to leave or what the wider circumstances were.

Health Minister Matt Hancock revealed the new measures this morning in an announcement that gives the government additional powers to fight the spread of the virus.

A general view of a sign at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside, where British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China are being quarantined (Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

A statement from the health ministry said: "In accordance with Regulation 3, the Secretary of State declares that the incidence or transmission of novel Coronavirus constitutes a serious and imminent threat to public health.

"The measures outlined in these regulations are considered as an effective means of delaying or preventing further transmission of the virus."

The ministry designated Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside and Kents Hill Park in Milton Keynes as "isolation" facilities.