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The number of coronavirus cases in the UK has reached 116 after 29 new infections were announced today.

The Department of Health and Social Care announced 25 new cases in England, while there were three cases in Scotland confirmed this morning and a further case in Wales detailed this afternoon.

Some 18,083 across the UK have been tested for Covid-19 so far.

There are 25 cases in London, health authorities added.

In a statement, Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said: “As of 9am this morning, 25 further patients in England have tested positive for COVID-19. 17 were diagnosed who had recently travelled from recognised countries or from recognised clusters which were under investigation.

“Eight contracted the virus in the UK and it is not yet clear whether they contracted it directly or indirectly from an individual who had recently returned from abroad.”

This announcement follows the largest day-on-day rise yesterday when 36 new cases were confirmed in the UK, 34 in Britain and two in Northern Ireland.

Ahead of the latest daily figures being published, chief medical officer Chris Whitty told the Commons health and social care committee: “I’m expecting the number only to go up.”

Londoners wear Coronavirus masks - In pictures 46 show all Londoners wear Coronavirus masks - In pictures 1/46 A man wearing a protective mask travels on the underground tube Reuters 2/46 A woman wearing a protective face mask Jeremy Selwyn 3/46 A man and woman wearing protective face masks on a bus PA 4/46 A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn 5/46 A woman shopper wears a protective mask as she walks down an aisle in a supermarket in London AFP via Getty Images 6/46 A man wearing a face mask waits to board an underground train on the Central Line at Bank station in London AP 7/46 A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA 8/46 A woman wearing a protective face mask walking down Oxford Street in London PA 9/46 A woman wearing a mask walks by the Emirates Stadium Action Images via Reuters 10/46 A man is seen wearing a protective face mask at Waterloo station Reuters 11/46 A woman wears a surgical mask as she walks through Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport Reuters 12/46 A fan in the stands wears a mask during the Premier League match at Stamford Bridg PA 13/46 A man wearing a protective face mask walking down Oxford Street PA 14/46 Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn 15/46 A person wears a mask in a display of street style outside the BFC Show Space show in London PA 16/46 Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn 17/46 Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn 18/46 Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn 19/46 A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn 20/46 Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn 21/46 A commuter on the tube wearing a face mask Jeremy Selwyn 22/46 A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridge Getty Images 23/46 People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn 24/46 A man wearing a face mask walks past an entrance sign for Bank underground train station AP 25/46 The coronavirus outbreak will unlikely lead to a Tube ban PA 26/46 People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn 27/46 People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn 28/46 A woman wearing a face mask on the London Underground. PA 29/46 People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn 30/46 A pedestrian wears a face mask whilst walking along High Holborn PA 31/46 A pedestrian wears a face mask whilst walking along High Holborn PA 32/46 A man wears a mask as he takes a photograph in China Town AP 33/46 A man in a hazmat suit and face mask cleans the Ritchie Street Health Centre, Islington PA 34/46 A commuter at Euston wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 35/46 A commuter at Euston wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 36/46 A man arrives at Euston Underground wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 37/46 A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 38/46 St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn 39/46 A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 40/46 Jeremy Selwyn 41/46 Staff in suits at St Thomas's Hospital today Jeremy Selwyn 42/46 A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 43/46 A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 44/46 A man wears a face mask as he stands near an electronic arrivals board at Terminal 4 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images 45/46 A man wears a face mask as he walks along the Thames embankment AFP via Getty Images 46/46 A woman wearing a protective face mask is seen on London Bridg Reuters 1/46 A man wearing a protective mask travels on the underground tube Reuters 2/46 A woman wearing a protective face mask Jeremy Selwyn 3/46 A man and woman wearing protective face masks on a bus PA 4/46 A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn 5/46 A woman shopper wears a protective mask as she walks down an aisle in a supermarket in London AFP via Getty Images 6/46 A man wearing a face mask waits to board an underground train on the Central Line at Bank station in London AP 7/46 A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA 8/46 A woman wearing a protective face mask walking down Oxford Street in London PA 9/46 A woman wearing a mask walks by the Emirates Stadium Action Images via Reuters 10/46 A man is seen wearing a protective face mask at Waterloo station Reuters 11/46 A woman wears a surgical mask as she walks through Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport Reuters 12/46 A fan in the stands wears a mask during the Premier League match at Stamford Bridg PA 13/46 A man wearing a protective face mask walking down Oxford Street PA 14/46 Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn 15/46 A person wears a mask in a display of street style outside the BFC Show Space show in London PA 16/46 Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn 17/46 Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn 18/46 Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn 19/46 A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn 20/46 Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn 21/46 A commuter on the tube wearing a face mask Jeremy Selwyn 22/46 A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridge Getty Images 23/46 People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn 24/46 A man wearing a face mask walks past an entrance sign for Bank underground train station AP 25/46 The coronavirus outbreak will unlikely lead to a Tube ban PA 26/46 People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn 27/46 People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn 28/46 A woman wearing a face mask on the London Underground. PA 29/46 People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn 30/46 A pedestrian wears a face mask whilst walking along High Holborn PA 31/46 A pedestrian wears a face mask whilst walking along High Holborn PA 32/46 A man wears a mask as he takes a photograph in China Town AP 33/46 A man in a hazmat suit and face mask cleans the Ritchie Street Health Centre, Islington PA 34/46 A commuter at Euston wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 35/46 A commuter at Euston wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 36/46 A man arrives at Euston Underground wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 37/46 A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 38/46 St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn 39/46 A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 40/46 Jeremy Selwyn 41/46 Staff in suits at St Thomas's Hospital today Jeremy Selwyn 42/46 A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 43/46 A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn 44/46 A man wears a face mask as he stands near an electronic arrivals board at Terminal 4 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images 45/46 A man wears a face mask as he walks along the Thames embankment AFP via Getty Images 46/46 A woman wearing a protective face mask is seen on London Bridg Reuters

Health authorities in the UK have ramped up their efforts to contain the outbreak as the number grows.

There are now also more than 95,300 cases worldwide and more than 3,200 people have died.

The Government has a four-pronged strategy against coronavirus: contain, delay, science and research, mitigate.

“We are mainly in the second stage at this point in time,” Professor Whitty told the MPs, explaining there would be a gradual shift between phases.

Downing Street later said it would publicly announce when the battle plan formally moves into the second stage.

Thirteen out of the 87 cases in the UK, as of yesterday, are understood to be in London. King’s College Hospital in south London confirmed two recent patients had tested positive for Covid-19, with some staff told to self-isolate.

The Government scientific advisory committee was meeting today to give the latest update on measures which could be taken to combat the virus.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told ITV’s This Morning: “They range from things like stopping public gatherings, sporting gatherings, closing schools and so on. Quite draconian stuff, to more targeted interventions.

“We will see what the scientists advise. These guys are brilliant, they are epidemiologists who understand behavioural psychology of the population… but at the moment what they are telling me is that actually slightly counter-intuitively things like closing schools and stopping big gatherings don’t work as well perhaps as people think in stopping the spread.

“Our advice on school closures remains exactly where it was. We don’t think at the moment schools should be closing.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock later told business chiefs at a conference in London that they should allow workers to self-isolate, even though it could leave their companies with sick pay bills. “It’s in the employee’s interests, it’s in your interest and it’s in the national interest,” he said.

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Later in the day, the competition watchdog has warned retailers and traders they must not try and “take advantage of people” concerned about the outbreak of coronavirus.

Officials at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said they would take strict action and said anyone trying to inflate prices could be prosecuted.

The CMA also said it would consider writing to the Government to implement pricing measures for certain products if problems arise.

It comes as several high street chains have limited purchases of hand sanitisers to two per customer.