Coronavirus: Death toll in the UK rises to 137
The number of people who have died after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK has risen from 103 to 137.
It comes after NHS England confirmed a further 29 people who tested positive for coronavirus in England had died.
The patients were aged between 47 and 96 years old and had underlying health conditions.
Earlier, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said three more people had, taking the country’s death toll to six. Two people in Wales have died after testing positive, while Northern Ireland reported its first death.
In the last day, more than half of the deaths occurred in London, with 16 deaths across eight NHS trusts. Despite reports that the government was considering London-only restrictions in a bid to prevent the outbreak in the capital, a Downing Street spokesman said a full-blown London travel ban was not in the pipeline.
“There are no plans to close down the transport network in London and there is zero prospect of any restrictions in place of travelling in or out of London,” he said.
The spokesman added that rumours that one person per household would be allowed to leave their homes during the outbreak is “not true”.
The Department of Health said the number of coronavirus cases in the UK will be published later today. Yesterday, the government announced the biggest daily surge as it confirmed more than 600 new coronavirus cases in the UK.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the closure of all schools in England from Friday afternoon “until further notice”. It followed similar announcements in Wales and Scotland.
Schools will remain open for children of key workers and those who are “vulnerable”. Speaking almost simultaneously, education secretary Gavin Williamson said: “The spike of the virus is increasing at a faster pace than anticipated… the public health benefits of schools remaining open as usual is shifting.”