London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 18, 2026

Coronavirus: Thirteen more cases confirmed in UK

Twelve more people in England and one in Scotland have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of UK cases to 36.

Scotland confirmed that its first patient was a Tayside resident who recently returned from Italy.

Three of the new cases in England were linked to a man from Surrey, who was the first to be infected within the UK.

It comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the UK was still in the "containment" phase of the outbreak.

He said the government contingency plans, which will be published this week, included banning big events.

The Scottish government confirmed its first case on Sunday evening. It said the patient was receiving treatment in isolation in hospital.

Three of the new cases revealed on Sunday were close contacts of the man from Surrey, who was announced as testing positive on Friday.

They included another person from Surrey and two people from West Sussex who were all "part of an adult family cluster", Public Health England said.

Another new case from Essex had "no relevant travel" and it was unclear how they had contracted the virus.

The remaining eight had visited affected areas - six to Italy, and two to Iran. They were from London, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire and Gloucestershire, and included:

One person from Bury, who had become infected in Italy.
Two Leeds residents, who had both been in Iran
One person from Bradford, who had travelled to Italy
Someone from Gloucestershire - infected in northern Italy - who is linked to another case from the area announced on Saturday
Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, said all of the newly identified cases were being investigated and health officials had begun tracing anyone who had close contact with them.

As of 09:00 GMT on Sunday, the Department of Health said a total of 11,750 people had been tested in the UK.

The latest positive tests come after three more cases were confirmed in England on Saturday.

One of those was a member of staff at St Mary's School in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, the primary school said on Sunday.

That follows another school - Willow Bank Infant School in Woodley, Berkshire - confirming that one of its staff had been infected.

The government has said no tactics will be "off the table" as part of its plan to contain the virus in the UK.

Mr Hancock told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show an emergency "battle plan", drawn up for the "worst case scenario", includes banning big events, closing schools and dissuading people from using public transport.

The health secretary said there were four phases to the plan:

Containment - caring for any infected people and identifying their close contacts
Delay - deciding what actions to take to slow down the spread
Mitigation - damage limitation if the virus spreads widely
Research - constant and ongoing work to inform the three other phases
Currently, the UK is in the "containment" phase - which health leaders say may still be sufficient.

But the next phase could see broader "social distancing" measures.

Labour shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Mr Hancock must give more detail of any emergency powers he wants to bring in so that MPs "can properly scrutinise" the plans.

Meanwhile, Lib Dem MP Layla Moran has written to the health secretary to urge him to make sure people are paid if they have to self-isolate, otherwise there could be "devastating" effects.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who will chair a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee on Monday, visited Public Health England's centre in north London on Sunday to discuss attempts to limit the spread of the virus.

He said the virus was "likely to spread a bit more" but he was "very, very confident" the NHS would be able to cope with an outbreak.

More than 200 British holidaymakers locked down at a quarantined hotel in Tenerife have been told they will be allowed to fly home, if they test negative for the virus.

The travellers have been quarantined at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel since Tuesday after four Italians contracted the virus. Some have already been allowed to leave but others are awaiting test results.

The Foreign Office is in contact with operators and travel agents about their plans to return Britons to the UK.

Globally, around 86,000 people have been infected, with cases in more than 50 countries. About 3,000 people have died - the vast majority in China's Hubei province, where the outbreak originated in December.

In other developments:

The Foreign Office has announced some British Embassy staff are being withdrawn from Iran because of the outbreak in the country. Iran reported 385 new cases on Sunday, bringing the total to 978 so far. The death toll rose to 54
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has tested negative for the virus. The Foreign Office said he self-isolated after feeling unwell this week - and has returned to work since the test result
A secondary school in Ireland is to close for 14 days because the country's first confirmed case had been in contact with its pupils and teachers
In Paris, the Louvre museum did not open on Sunday. The museum said on Twitter a meeting was being held on the public health situation and "the museum cannot open at the moment".
Australia and Thailand recorded their first fatalities from the virus on Sunday. A 78-year-old Australian man died after being infected on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. Thailand said the 35-year-old man who died of the virus had also been suffering from dengue fever
The leader of a religious sect in South Korea - which is facing the worst outbreak outside China - could face a homicide investigation over some of the country's deaths. Lee Man-hee is accused of hiding the names of some members as officials tried to track patients before the virus spread

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
TUC Calls for Social Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Taxes on Bank Profits
UK Parliament Enters Conference Recess After Advancing Sovereign Grant Legislation
King Charles Hosts Artificial Intelligence Leaders at Dumfries House Summit
Nearly Seven in Ten UK Small Businesses Delay or Cancel Growth Plans as Costs Rise
Anthropic Details Malicious Use of Claude in Cyber, Weapons and Influence Operations
McLaren Announces £500 Million UK Investment and 1,000 New Jobs
Scotland and Wales Sign Cardiff Agreement to Deepen Cooperation on Shared Policy Priorities
UK Government Moves to Fully Fund Teacher Pay Award as Strike Threat Recedes
UK Competition Regulator Deepens Scrutiny of Microsoft’s Business Software and AI Market Position
NHS England Reforms Focus on Cutting Waiting Lists and Improving Digital Care
England Maintains Mandatory Housing Targets in Push for 1.5 Million New Homes
UK Government Plans Statutory Industrial Strategy Council to Strengthen Long-Term Economic Policy
Asthma Charity Warns of Major Gaps in Childhood Diagnostic Testing Across England
TUC Chief Paul Nowak Appointed to Bank of England Court
Bristol Opens £35 Million Deep-Tech Innovation Hub at Temple Quarter
Oxfordshire Village Votes Symbolically to Leave UK Over Asylum Housing Plan
Andy Burnham Deepens UK Defense and AI Cooperation With NATO and Canada
UK Government Announces Neonatal Safety Reforms After Thirlwall Inquiry
Bank of England Weighs Rate Decision as UK Inflation Rises to 3.1%
UK Health Unions Warn of Staffing Pressures as Public and Private Pay Growth Diverges
Rockstar Games Faces Tribunal Claims From 23 Former Grand Theft Auto VI Developers
UK Treasury Faces Tighter Budget Constraints as Borrowing Costs and Pension Spending Rise
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Ten-Year Plan for Greater Public Oversight of Utilities
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Services and Technology Activity Strengthen
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Leaders Coordinate Push for UK Constitutional Change
Police Tighten Public-Order Measures After Anti-Immigration Protests in Dover and Portsmouth
UK Ministers Pressed for Answers After US Diplomat Accused of Child Abuse Images Leaves Britain
Jaguar Land Rover Pursues NATO Defense Contracts for Defender Vehicles
British Service Member Dies in Road Accident While Deployed in Ukraine
George Osborne Calls for Britain to Rejoin EU Customs Union
Anthropic Chief Dario Amodei Urges Faster UK Action on Advanced AI Risks
UK State Pension Set for 3.9% Rise Under Triple Lock
UK Labour Market Cools as Payrolled Employment Continues to Decline
Reform UK’s £72 Million in Donations Faces Scrutiny Under Proposed Retrospective Funding Rules
UK Doctors Warn Expanded Pharmacy First Scheme Could Put Patients at Risk
British Airlines Cut Short-Haul Capacity as Jet Fuel Costs Rise
UK News Publishers Forecast 40% Search Traffic Drop as AI Overviews Expand
Axel Springer Wins Approval for £575 Million Daily Telegraph Acquisition
London Mayor Sadiq Khan Opposes Heathrow Third Runway Over Climate Targets
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Leaders Hold Summit Seeking Greater Autonomy
UK Energy Price Cap Set to Rise to £1,723 in October
UK Treasury Warns Middle East Conflict Is Threatening Economic Growth
Labour Moves to Retrospectively Cap Overseas Political Donations After Reform UK Funding Surge
HMRC Warns Nearly Seven Million Adults Are Unclear About State Pension Entitlements
UK Parliament Passes Sovereign Grant Reform Before Conference Recess
British Rail Passengers Gain Automatic Right to Switch Operators During Disruptions
Burnham Hosts Downing Street Business Summit as UK Fiscal Pressure Builds
Labour Government Moves to Challenge £72 Million in Reform UK Crypto Donations
UK Advertising Industry Warns Wider Junk Food Rules Could Put £1 Billion in Media Spending at Risk
Cornwall Opens Devolution Talks With UK Government Over Transport and Local Services
×