Number of UK coronavirus cases record biggest daily jump to 456
The number of UK coronavirus cases leapt by 83 today to a total of 456 Covid-19 infections, the Department of Health said today.
Today’s rise marks a significant increase in the UK’s daily reported number of cases.
Public Health England recorded 54 new cases yesterday morning, and 46 new cases on Monday morning.
Doctors have tested 27,476 people in the UK as of 9am this morning, finding 456 infections. Six of those have died from the Covid-19 disease.
The risk to the UK public at large remains moderate, the government said.
Of the six British deaths, two have died outside of the UK. One passed away in Indonesia while the other died in Japan.
Chancellor pledges £30bn to ease impact
The new figures came as chancellor Rishi Sunak announced £30bn of measures to protect UK citizens and the UK economy from the spread of coronavirus.
Sunak warned of a significant disruption to the economy due to the coronavirus outbreak.
A £3,000 cash grant will be paid out to 700,000 of the country’s smallest businesses, to mitigate the economic impact of the outbreak. Business rates will also be abolished this year for firms with a rateable value below £51,000.
The Chancellor also announced that sick pay measures will be extended to anyone advised to self-isolate due to coronavirus.
In his Budget this afternoon, Sunak said anyone in isolation will be able to get a sick note by calling 111, while payments will be made from day one rather than day four.
Chief executive of Tide, Oliver Prill, said: “As a business dedicated to supporting micro, small and medium-sized businesses, we are very pleased to see the UK government announce measures to ease the pain of the outbreak of the coronavirus for UK SMEs.”
“With UK SMEs being ever-more exposed to the global economy, our concern is the long-term impact the coronavirus could have. The reliance many businesses have on international suppliers and trade is significant and is likely to have a devastating effect.”
Ahead of the statement, the Bank of England slashed interest rates to 0.25, the lowest rate in the Bank’s history.