London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Five in UK test negative for coronavirus with nine awaiting results

Fourteen people in the UK have been tested for coronavirus with five confirmed negative and nine still awaiting the results, Public Health England said.

PHE would not give a breakdown of where the people were tested and where the negative results were recorded.

However, the number is believed to include five people who had undergone tests for the virus in Scotland.

A statement from the Scottish government today said: ‘Following travel to Wuhan, China, two people confirmed as diagnosed with influenza are now being tested for Wuhan novel coronavirus as a precautionary measure only.

‘Three further people are also undergoing testing on a similar precautionary basis.

‘There are currently no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK and the risk to the Scottish public remains low.’

One man in Belfast is also believed to have been treated for symptoms associated with coronavirus after being admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said the tests were ‘purely precautionary’.

The outbreak of the deadly virus has killed 25 people and infected more than 600 worldwide.

Five Chinese cities have been put on lockdown as authorities attempt to contain the illness which is believed to have started in Wuhan.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said earlier it is ‘too early’ to declare an international public health emergency over the outbreak ‘given its restrictive and binary nature’.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said: ‘Make no mistake, this is though an emergency in China. But it has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one.’

He added that 584 cases had been reported to the WHO, including 17 deaths, with 575 of the overall cases and all the deaths reported in China.

Other cases have been reported in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said there is an ‘increased likelihood’ of cases of occurring in the UK.

In a statement to the House of Commons earlier today, Mr Hancock said that it was a ‘rapidly developing situation and the number of deaths and the number of cases is likely to be higher than those that have been confirmed so far and I expect them to rise further’.

He told MPs: ‘The chief medical officer has revised the risk to the UK population from “very low” to “low” and has concluded that while there is an increased likelihood that cases may arise in this country, we are well prepared and well equipped to deal with them.’

He added: ‘The UK is one of the first countries to have developed a world-leading test for the new coronavirus.

‘The NHS is ready to respond appropriately to any cases that emerge.’

The head of infection medicine at the University of Edinburgh Professor Jurgen Haas says he believes there will be many more cases from other cities in the UK.

British universities are taking urgent action to protect against the outbreak, warning students returning from China that they face being quarantined.

As a number of students prepare to head home for the Chinese New Year, the University of Chester says it has told students that they will not be readmitted without a suitable quarantine period.

The University of Aberdeen, which has a partnership with Wuhan University, said it was not aware of any students in Wuhan who have returned from the area recently.

But a spokesman said: ‘The university is aware of five members of staff who have visited Wuhan during the outbreak, four of whom returned to the university three or more weeks ago.

‘The remaining member of staff has a non-teaching role and is working from home as a precautionary measure.’

A Newcastle University spokesman added it had issued protection advice to around 300 students who have links to the Hubei province at the centre of the health scare, as well as offering support for those concerned.

It comes as millions of Chinese people planned to travel over the Lunar New Year.

Beijing and Hong Kong have cancelled some major festivities to prevent large crowds gathering together.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×