The UK has seen its biggest day-on-day increase in coronavirus cases, with 85 people now confirmed to have the virus.
Three of the 29 new cases in England were passed on in the UK, raising fears that community transmission may now be taking hold.
The jump comes as England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, warned that a UK epidemic is looking “likely”.
Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister announced new sick pay changes as part of emergency coronavirus legislation so that anyone self-isolating is paid from day one rather than day four as current rules state.
Boris Johnson told MPs that people who self-isolate are “helping to protect all of us by slowing the spread of the virus”
He added: “If they stay at home and if we ask people to self-isolate, they may lose out financially.
“So, I can today announce that the Health Secretary will bring forward, as part of our emergency coronavirus legislation, measures to allow the payment of statutory sick pay from the very first day you are sick instead of four days under the current rules, and I think that’s the right way forward.
“Nobody should be penalised for doing the right thing.”
Prof Whitty said the new cases in the UK included 32 patients from England.
“Twenty-nine patients were diagnosed who had recently travelled from recognised countries or from recognised clusters which were under investigation,” he said.
“Three additional patients contracted the virus in the UK and it is not yet clear whether they contracted it directly or indirectly from an individual who had recently returned from abroad. This is being investigated and contact tracing has begun.”
Earlier, Prof Whitty told the BBC there could be a need to do “extreme things” to protect the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions.
He added: “At this point in time we think it is likely, not definite, that we will move into onward transmission and an epidemic here in the UK.
Discover more from London Glossy Post
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
