Coronavirus updates: New positive cases revealed as sport events plunged into chaos
Major sports events have been postponed amid 200 new cases in the UK as the Government’s approach to tackling coronavirus was called into question.
The UK today faced an unprecedented modern-day challenge as the pressure of dealing with COVID-19 begins to stretch services.
As of 9am today the number of 798 people have tested positive a leap from 590 cases 24 hours earlier.
Key updates:
The number of people who have tested positive for the virus in the UK rose today to 798 while the death toll is 10.
Four new cases have been revealed in Wolverhampton, bringing the total in the city to nine.
Dudley had three new cases today and Worcestershire had its first two cases.
Three further confirmed cases of coronavirus in Birmingham today - five in total in the city.
A third case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the Shropshire Council area. There are no cases in Telford.
The Premier League and EFL have collectively agreed to postpone the professional game in England until April 3.
Wolves' Europa League second-leg tie against Olympiacos at Molineux has been postponed after UEFA called off all games and Champions League next week.
Other major sporting events have been postponed including the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Vietnam Grand Prix following the Australian GP overnight, England's cricket tour to Sri Lanka, this year’s Masters at Augusta and the Six Nations game between Wales and Scotland in Cardiff.
Leading companies on the London Stock Exchange staged a minor recovery in early trading on Friday as investors started to react to new rules and funding provided by central banks and governments to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.
The World Health Organisation said it was “deeply concerned” some countries were not handling the pandemic with “the level of political commitment needed to control it”.
The Electoral Commission recommended local elections in May be postponed.
New measures to delay the spread of coronavirus in the UK have come into full force today as officials tackle what Boris Johnson has called the “worst health crisis in a generation”.
Up to 10,000 people are thought to be infected with Covid-19 already and, in a stark warning to the public, the Mr Johnson said families will continue to “lose loved ones before their time” as the outbreak worsens.
See the latest updates below:
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