United Kingdom

    The number of people who have died after contracting coronavirus in England has risen to 128. Earlier, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said three more people in Scotland had died after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the country's total number of deaths to six. She said the number doubled as she addressed MSPs in Holyrood, sending her condolences to those who had loved ones. The total number of people in Scotland who have contracted COVID-19 stands at 266 a rise of 39 in 24 hours. She said the figure was likely to be an underestimate of the true prevalence of the infection. The number of cases in Wales has also increased, with 24 new confirmed cases bringing its total to 170. The figures come after Northern Ireland recorded its first death on Thur...

    Thirty-two more people have died in England after testing positive for coronavirus taking the total number of UK deaths to 104. It follows the biggest daily leap in confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the UK after 676 infections were diagnosed in the last 24 hours. The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK now stands at 2,626. Ninety-nine patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in England have now died. The latest 32 patients to die were aged between 59 and 94 and had underlying health conditions, NHS England said. Nearly a third of the new deaths in England (10) were at hospitals in London - the worst-affected part of the UK. Earlier, the death of a third patient who had tested positive for COVID-19 in Scotland was confirmed. Two people with the virus have ...

    Schools in England will close from Friday until further notice for all pupils except children of key workers and the most vulnerable. Boris Johnson and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the measures would apply for all pupils except children of key workers and the most vulnerable. It comes after NHS England announced an increase of 32 deaths in England on Wednesday evening. The number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK hit 2,626 earlier the biggest single day jump in cases since the outbreak began.

    As measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus ramp up with members of the public now being advised to avoid non-essential contact and spaces such as pubs, clubs and the theatre so some other questions are raised. Like: can I walk my dog during the outbreak of COVID-19? First off, if you have not been told to self-isolate and do not have the symptoms of the virus, then you are fine to take your fluffy charges for trots as usual. This is provided you are out in the open air and are not stopping for a pitstop at your local boozer. If you haven’t tested positive or been asked to self-isolate then continue to interact with your pets as normal, but adopt good hygiene practices including washing hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after touching t...

    Millions of workers across the country have today started to work from home in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus, leaving empty carriages on trains and spacious roads up and down the UK. Many workers based in London this morning snubbed public transport and a District Line tube had just a handful of passengers on what would usually be a packed train. This is while London Euston, a station that connects London to other areas of the country such as Birmingham, Glasgow and Chester was also quiet with just a handful of people roaming around outside. So far in the UK coronavirus has killed 35 people and there have been 1,372 confirmed cases and official guidance has recommended that people should implement social distancing where possible. While stations such...

    The World Health Organisation has cast doubt on the UK’s approach to developing herd immunity against Covid-19, saying the current situation around the outbreak in Britain requires action. Spokeswoman Margaret Harris said scientists do not know enough about the virus to say whether theories around people becoming immune to it are correct. On Friday, the UK’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance hit back at criticism over the Government's handling of the virus and said the approach would hopefully create a herd immunity to the disease. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was among those to ask why the Government had not cancelled large gatherings as part of the measures, but Sir Patrick said some of the social distancing measures put in place - including se...

    An NHS advice website has run outdated coronavirus information that goes against new government guidance. NHS 111, which is designed to help patients by allowing them to check on their symptoms and get advice, runs a questionnaire that asks users if they have been to certain parts of the world affected by coronavirus. Previous government advice recommended self-isolation for visitors to northern Italian towns that were first put under lockdown. But with the entire country now under restrictions, that advice has been updated to say that any traveller who has been to anywhere in Italy since yesterday should isolate even without symptoms. However, the NHS 111 questionnaire still tells users they don’t need to self-isolate, even if the user ticks yes when asked if the...

    PM Boris Johnson warned the UK will not be able to contain the coronavirus outbreak today as he confirmed advice will be stepped up to delay the spread. The PM teed up a toughening of the response as he gave a press conference in Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee. But he still stopped short of shifting the official strategy from the contain phase to focus on efforts to delay the spread. We remain in the contain phase of the outbreak, but watching what is happening around the world our scientists believe that containment is unlikely to work on its own, he said. There has been speculation that soon people will be advised to work from home where possible, and vulnerable people the elderly or those with long-term health problems ...

    Boris Johnson is to be investigated by Parliament’s sleaze watchdog over his £15,000 winter break to the Caribbean, according to reports. The Prime Minister and his partner Carrie Symonds accepted accommodation for a private break in St Vincent and the Grenadines as a post-election victory escape. But confusion reigned after Mr Johnson declared in the register of MPs’ interests that he had accepted “accommodation for a private holiday for my partner and me, value £15,000”, citing businessman David Ross as the provider. A spokesman for Mr Ross then denied that the co-founder of the Carphone Warehouse had stumped up any money. But the Conservative Party donor’s spokesman later clarified his stance, agreeing it was a benefit in kind to the PM and Ms Symonds during th...

    The threat of a Tube strike escalated today as 10,000 staff began a ballot in a dispute over pay. Members of the RMT union, including drivers, will vote and are expected to endorse a strike call. The ballot result is due at the end of the month. Union leaders at the RMT and Aslef have rejected a four-year pay deal. They have agreed to meet London Underground management at conciliation service Acas next Tuesday but there is no new deal on the table. More than 2,400 Tube drivers belonging to Aslef will conclude their own ballot later next week and are also forecast to back strike action. The first combined stoppages by the unions could begin in mid-April. Transport for London said the pay deal guarantees above-inflation rises. RMT leader Mick Cash said LU had failed ...