Twelve more coronavirus cases have been diagnosed in the UK today, taking the infection toll in Britain to 51.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the cases in the Commons, warning the situation facing the country is ‘increasingly serious’.
It comes after a travel agent in Norbiton, south London, was today shut after an employee tested positive for the deadly infection.
Elsewhere in the capital, the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama was closed after a teacher tested positive for the killer coronavirus and a secondary school in the Wirral also shut after a parent was struck down.
At least four teachers are now thought to have been infected in the UK, with staff members in Berkshire, Gloucestershire and Wimbledon already struck down.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson today published the Government’s battle plan, as he warned a major outbreak in Britain is now ‘highly likely’.
It could see police ignore low-level crime, while troops could be deployed on the streets if coronavirus takes hold in the UK.
Infected patients not suffering could be sent home from hospital, amid warnings an outbreak could incapacitate a fifth of the workforce.
The shelves of British supermarkets are emptying at pace and staples are being rationed as experts have warned of ‘food riots’ if the crisis worsens.
Thirty-nine coronavirus cases have already been confirmed in the UK. More than 92,000 patients have been infected worldwide.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the cases in the Commons, warning the situation facing the country is ‘increasingly serious’
At a press conference today, Boris Johnson said the government would take all ‘necessary and reasonable steps’ to curb the impact of coronavirus
The prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama, located in the heart of London, will be closed for up to 14 days as a precaution
Mr Hancock did not give any details about the cases and the Department of Health said it had no information to add until its 2pm update.
The Health and Social Care Secretary told MPs: ‘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’ll see widespread transmission here in this country.’
Mr Hancock, who conceded the UK might have to cancel the London Marathon next month, added: ‘Our approach is to plan for the worst and work for the best.’
In other key developments today:
- The Treasury is preparing to find billions of pounds in next week’s budget to help firms cope with the financial fallout;
- Bank of England governor Mark Carney said the international economic response to coronavirus will be ‘powerful and timely’, and played down fears there will be a worse hit than the 2008 credit crunch;
- BA, EasyJet and Ryanair cancelled hundreds of flights, ruining the plans of thousands of travellers;
- Global economic growth could be slashed in half, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development;
- The public were urged to clean their smartphone screens with alcohol wipes twice a day to help prevent the spread;
- At least 11 more schools closed after positive coronavirus tests or scares – despite Government advice to shut only on the orders of health officials;
- The NHS 111 helpline reported it was receiving a 70 per cent increase in calls compared with last year;
- Stores reported seeing a surge in panic buying and experts warned of food riots in a worst-case scenario;
- As many as five million workers could be left without sick pay if they are forced to stay home;
- The Health Secretary said the Government had powers to compel patients to self-isolate if they refused to;
- The World Health Organisation warned that the situation was now ‘uncharted territory’;
- Buckingham Place said an investiture today would go ahead and there were no plans to alter royal itineraries;
- City firms banned ‘hot desking’ and large meetings of more than 25 staff.
It comes as online travel agent Travel Republic today closed its office in London after one of its employees tested positive for coronavirus.
The company said its premises on London Road in Norbiton, south London, would be shut to staff while they undergo a deep clean.
Almost 91,000 cases of coronavirus have been recorded across the world. At least 3,100 people are known to have died
It added that the patient was receiving medical attention and all staff have been told to ring NHS 111 if they are concerned or feel unwell.
A Department of Health spokesperson refused to confirm whether the patient was among the new cases announced in the Commons.
Meanwhile, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama cancelled all of its scheduled events until 11 March due to a teacher having the virus.
The unidentified man had come into contact with a ‘limited number’ of students last week, the school admitted in an email to staff and students.
Guildhall School of Music and Drama didn’t release any more information about the male teacher – but he is thought to teach music.
He was whisked off for treatment at London’s Royal Free Hospital, a specialist NHS centre for infectious diseases.
In an email sent to staff and students, the school – ranked as one of the world’s best performing arts institutes – said he is ‘recovering well’.
According to The Guardian, the note added: ‘He was present and teaching in one of the ancillary school buildings on one day last week.
‘He came into contact with a limited number of students and we are working closely with those students to ensure that they receive urgent appropriate advice.’
The school urged any staff and students who show any coronavirus symptoms, such as a fever or cough, to ring NHS111 and seek medical advice.
It added: ‘All meetings, performances, workshops, masterclasses and any other on-site school engagements in the next 14 days should be cancelled.
‘Staff are encouraged to work remotely during this period and if they are in any doubt of how to do so should contact their line manager.’
It comes after Willow Bank Junior School and Willow Bank Infant School in Woodley, Berkshire, both closed yesterday because of coronavirus.
A female staff member at the infant school tested positive after catching the illness while on holiday in northern Italy.
Wimbledon College, in south-west London, shut its doors yesterday because of the coronavirus
St Mary’s Church of England Primary School in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, where a member of staff tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday. It is closed for deep cleaning until Wednesday
In an email, the schools told parents they would be shut for ‘some days’ to allow for a deep clean to be carried out on the premises.
St Mary’s Primary School in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, also closed after a member of staff there was confirmed to have the virus after a trip to Italy.
Wimbledon College, in south-west London, shut its doors yesterday because of the coronavirus.
In a letter to parents the headmaster wrote that a member of staff caught the virus while on a trip to northern Italy.
Several staff members were asked to self-isolate after coming into contact with the teacher, forcing the school to shut because of ‘low staffing numbers’.
The Ridgeway School in Farnham, Surrey, which teaches children with severe learning difficulties, has closed for deep cleaning.
Three cases have been diagnosed in Surrey already and a Ridgeway member of staff had been in contact with a confirmed patient.
In a letter to parents the headteacher said it was shut because of the compromised immune system ‘many of’ the school’s children have.
Churston Ferrers Grammar School in Torbay yesterday confirmed a student tested positive for COVID-19. No other details are known.
Shelves in this London Tesco is empty of pasta, pasta sauces, rice and other staples but crisps and chocolate oranges appear to have been left
This London Sainsbury’s is running out of germ-busting disinfectant, bleach and anti-bacterial wipes
Water is also selling out in supermarkets including this Asda in the capital despite coronavirus posing little threat to the country’s water supply
Hundreds of teachers across the country were sent on ski trips to northern Italy, the centre of Europe’s coronavirus crisis, over half-term.
But thousands of travellers came home from northern Italy before the Government introduced updated guidance, raising fears it would spread to the UK.
The Government told holidaymakers and business travellers returning from Italy to self-isolate if they have tell-tale symptoms.
And anyone who went to 11 towns locked down to contain the outbreak were told to quarantine themselves, even if they had no symptoms.
But hundreds of teachers who went to affected regions went into school before the guidance was updated, raising fears for thousands of pupils and staff.
Teachers are also known to be at risk because they come into contact with children, who are known to be more susceptible to getting sick.
Scientists say because youngsters mingle with lots of strangers they are exposed to bacteria and viruses they’ve never seen before.
Churston Ferrers Grammar School in Torbay confirmed a student tested positive for COVID-19, while the second case in Devon is a member of the same family. No other details are known
Churston Ferrers Grammar School in Devon has closed after a pupil and one of their relatives were diagnosed with the virus
Education sources warned last night that students could be forced to sit their exams in the summer holidays, if the crisis in the UK worsens.
But their grades could be inflated to compensate for missed lesson time, according to one teacher trying to answer parents’ creeping concerns.
Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty forecast a worst-case scenario in which schools would be closed for ‘probably more than two months’.
As the summer exam season looms, parents are worried about the knock-on effect of future closures.
Exam regulator Ofqual has told institutions to draw up contingency plans to prepare for such closures, but have not yet advised on specific measures.
Calvin Robinson, who teaches at Watford Grammar, believes exams could be pushed back to cope with school closures.
And he added teachers and pupils would likely have to come in during the summer holidays to sit papers and invigilate.
In the event of schools shutting, he told MailOnline: ‘I think we will have to postpone exams.
‘We can’t purely base it on previous coursework, because students weren’t warned in advance.
Many parents fear closures would jeopardise their child’s grades in comparison to institutions which remained open.
Mr Robinson predicted that, if there were a slump in grades owing to missed lessons in affected schools, these could be inflated.
The exam regulator also called for affected students to be given special dispensation in this summer’s exams
Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Layla Moran MP echoed the view and said exam boards should take into account illnesses.
She told MailOnline: ‘Exam season is an extremely stressful time for pupils and it is crucial that schools take a compassionate approach.
‘This is particularly the case for pupils who miss lessons due to illness. Exam boards must have plans for how they can take into account individual circumstances.’
Mr Robinson pointed out that most GCSE and A-Level syllabuses would have already been covered, and doubted that the range of exam questions would be reduced.
Online learning tools have been mooted as potential options in the event of school closures.
An article in the Times Educational Supplement said Google Classroom could be used to set work for pupils to do at home.
But Mr Robinson, a computer science teacher, poured cold water on these proposals and said most schools ‘lacked the infrastructure’ to execute this.
YouTube has been mooted as a teaching tool, with teachers sending links to relevant videos or even creating their own, then setting questions about the material.
Both GCSE and A-Levels results day fall in the middle of August, which would also likely be pushed back if exams were postponed.
This would pose problems for universities, who typically confirm offers on results day about a month before term begins.
It is unclear what would happen for school leavers in this situation, but Mr Robinson said ‘universities would have to be flexible’.
Last week more than 30 schools closed or sent home pupils who had returned from ski trips in northern Italy. Many of those are reopening.
Professor Chris Whitty, has not ruled out closing schools in the event of a major outbreak but said it would not be taken lightly.