How things stand as Britain fights virus

As the UK’s fight against coronavirus is set to dramatically escalate, here is a look at how things stand.

● The UK death toll from Covid-19 has risen from 21 to 35, with 34 deaths in England and one in Scotland.

● There have been a total of 1,372 positive tests for coronavirus in the UK as of 9am yesterday, up from 1,140 at the same time on Saturday.

● Public Health Wales confirmed 34 new cases of Covid-19 in Wales yesterday, bringing the total number confirmed in the country to 94.

● Eleven new cases were confirmed in Northern Ireland, bringing the total number of known cases there to 45.

● Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed that elderly people will be asked to self-isolate for up to four months as part of the plan to tackle the virus.

● There could also be a shift to household isolation rather than individual self-isolation.

● Coronavirus testing will be prioritised for those most at risk of severe illness from the disease.

● Public Health England (PHE) said people in the community with a fever or cough do not usually need testing.

● Mr Hancock confirmed that ministers were seeking to give police powers to arrest and forcibly quarantine people who are sick with the virus but are not self-isolating.

● He said a Bill setting out emergency powers to deal with the outbreak will be published on Thursday, and details of what the powers will include will be shared tomorrow.

● Prime Minister Boris Johnson will personally urge manufacturers to shift their production lines to build ventilators, with Mr Hancock saying the NHS needs ventilators now more than anything else.

● Negotiations are also taking place with private health firms about access to their hospital beds.

● Whitehall sources have already indicated that mass gatherings could be banned from next weekend.

● Other measures, including school closures, have also been considered as an option to combat the spread of the virus.