New cases of coronavirus confirmed in Derbyshire

Coronavirus: New cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Derbyshire

University of Derby prepares its students for a possible outbreak of coronavirus. Photo by Darion Westwood.
University of Derby prepares its students for a possible outbreak of coronavirus. Photo by Darion Westwood.

Four cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, have been confirmed in Derbyshire.

However, the latest figures released by Public Health England yesterday state that none of the cases are within the city of Derby.

So far three people in the UK have died from the virus. The latest was a man, who was over 60 with underlying health problems, who died at North Manchester General Hospital yesterday.

Latest figures show that 278 people have been diagnosed coronavirus in the UK.

And a Midlands school has confirmed that it is closed until further notice after a member of staff has tested positive.

A deep clean operation will begin at St Gabriel’s School in Tamworth, as the school assesses the situation in the coming days.

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John Hayes, headteacher of the school, released a statement which read: “St Gabriel’s School (and Pre-School) will be closed for a few days from Monday, March 9, in order to undertake a thorough clean of the building.

“The reason for this is that a member of staff has been confirmed as a case of coronavirus.

“The staff member had not been at school for a number of days and was not displaying symptoms on their last day of work.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scheduled to chair an emergency COBRA meeting to discuss the United Kingdom’s response to the coronavirus crisis this afternoon.

The meeting is expected to discuss whether “social distancing” measures should be introduced.

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These measures could include the banning of large scale events and school closures to try and slow down the spread.

With the “containment” phase still in action, this meeting should officially move the UK into the “delay” phase.