Two more people have tested positive for coronavirus in England, the Department of Health said.
The two patients have been transferred to specialist NHS infection centres after contracting the virus in Italy and Tenerife, according to England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty.
The new cases bring the total number of people diagnosed with Covid-19 in the UK to 15.
Authorities in Italy have reported that the number of people infected in the country grew to 447 and 12 people have died.
And 168 Britons have been told to isolate themselves at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace in Tenerife.
Prof Whitty said: “Two further patients in England have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of UK cases to 15.
“The virus was passed on in Italy and Tenerife and the patients have been transferred to specialist NHS infection centres in Royal Liverpool Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital, London.”
The two new cases were confirmed after parents of pupils at Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire, were told the school would be closed on Thursday due to a “confirmed case of coronavirus amongst our parent population”.
Burbage Primary School, in Buxton, which has 350 pupils, sent a message to parents via WhatsApp on Wednesday night saying the decision had been taken as a “precautionary measure and to enable a deep clean to be completed”.
Across the UK, at least eight schools have closed while others – including Prince George’s – have sent pupils home amid fears they may have been exposed to coronavirus during half-term trips to northern Italy.
But Public Health England (PHE) said that its general advice is not to
close schools – a message echoed by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
Travellers returning to the UK from northern Italy were told they may need to self-isolate as part of measures to stop the spread of illness.
So far in the UK more than 7,000 people have been tested for the virus and of the 15 to have tested positive, eight have so far been discharged from
hospital.
In China, where the virus originated, has reported a total of 78,497 cases, including 2,744 deaths. Outside China, there were 3,651, cases including 50 deaths.
After Brazil confirmed Latin America’s first case on Wednesday, the virus has reached every continent except Antarctica.
