INFECTION ZONE
CORONAVIRUS can be caught from spending just 15 minutes within two metres of infected people, health bosses warn.
The deadly Covid-19 infection continues to spread across Europe amid fears of a global pandemic.
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Experts from Public Health England say that people are at risk of the bug if they've had close contact with an infected person.
Dr Paul Cosford, medical director at PHE, told the BBC today: "The groups that we're interested in are people who've been in close face-to-face contact with somebody who's got the infection for at least 15 minutes.
"Or somebody who has been within two metres of that person for 15 minutes or longer.
"So that does suggest that it is actually very close contact that puts you at risk not just being somewhere within the same environment as somebody.
"It's close contact with somebody with the infection that puts you at risk - not just being in the same area, or the same room for a short period of time."
School closures
It comes as some schools in the UK closed while others have sent pupils home over fears the children may have been exposed to coronavirus during ski trips to northern Italy.
Authorities in Italy last night reported that the number of people infected in the country had soared to 322, or 45 per cent in 24 hours, while 11 people have so far died from the virus.
Travellers returning to the UK from the region were told they may need to self-isolate as part of measures to stop the spread of illness.
PHE also announced that flu patients will now be assessed for coronavirus to see if it is spreading.
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Health Secretary Matt Hancock said official advice has been changed to say people who have been to anywhere in Italy north of Pisa should self-isolate if they develop flu-like symptoms on their return to the UK.
Britons who have been in locked-down regions of Italy - including Lombardy and Veneto - were told they should self-isolate at home for 14 days, even if they have no symptoms.
The Foreign Office later updated its travel advice, with a spokesman saying: "We advise against all but essential travel to 10 small towns in Lombardy and one in Veneto, which are currently in isolation due to an ongoing outbreak of coronavirus.
"Any British nationals already in these towns should follow the advice of the local authorities."
European spread
Britons were also among the 700 guests at hotel in Tenerife who were told to stay in their rooms after an Italian doctor there was diagnosed with coronavirus.
The Italian doctor and his wife tested positive and were placed in isolation in hospital, the Canary Islands government confirmed.
It said the couple had travelled with eight other Italians who were showing no symptoms.
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The Canary Islands government added that more than 100 tourists at the hotel who are believed to have not had any contact with the couple will be allowed to leave, but it is not known if they include any Brits.
Austria, Croatia and Switzerland reported their first cases, while Spain and France recorded new ones, also involving people who had been to northern Italy.
The first positive test in South America has been recorded after 61-year-old Brazilian man who had recently been to northern Italy tested positive, it has been reported.
What are the early warning signs?
According to the NHS and the World Health Organisation (WHO), early symptoms of coronavirus infection include:
- A runny nose
- A cough and/or sore throat
- A high temperature
- Feeling tired
- Difficulty breathing
These symptoms are similar to other respiratory illnesses such as the flu and the common cold.
However, this new strain is said to more likely to trigger a cough and fever, experts have noted.
And they warn the condition can progress and victims can develop severe complications.
These include pneumonia and swelling in the lungs, which can make it hard for the lungs to pass oxygen into the bloodstream - leading to organ failure and death.
Severe pneumonia can kill people by causing them to "drown" in the fluid flooding their lungs.
How quickly do symptoms come on?
The virus is transmitted between people in droplets from coughing and sneezing and touching or shaking hands.
Symptoms are thought to appear between two and ten days after contracting the virus - but it may be up to 24 days.
And worse still there is also some evidence, as yet unconfirmed, that the virus can be spread by asymptomatic people — that is people carrying the virus but have not become ill yet.
Should this be correct it may make the virus considerably more difficult to control.
As of February 25, a total of 6,795 people have been tested in the UK with 13 positive cases.
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS
The Department of Health also added Iran, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma and parts of northern Italy to the list of places where travellers need to follow clinical advice.
China has reported 78,064 cases and 2,715 deaths, while South Korea has the second highest number of cases with 1,261 and 11 deaths.
Early on Wednesday the US military said one of its soldiers based in South Korea has also tested positive for Covid-19.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock tells Brits if they've been to North Italy to self-isolate if they feel ill