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The first case of coronavirus in Liverpool has been confirmed.

Mayor Joe Anderson and Liverpool City Council have revealed that a Liverpool resident has been diagnosed with the potentially deadly virus.

The resident is believed to have contracted the virus during a recent trip to northern Italy.

Mayor Anderson has just tweeted: "Following emergency meeting of Health and Wellbeing board that I chaired today, we can confirm Liverpool’s first case of #coronavirus (COVID-19)."

The news comes after Mayor Anderson chaired an emergency meeting of various city agencies at the town hall today to assess how the city is preparing for an outbreak of the virus.

That emergency committee - including key players from the NHS, police, council and other agencies - will meet every two weeks from now as Liverpool's response to the spread of coronavirus is constantly reviewed.

The city has been playing a pivotal role in the fight against coronavirus already - with a number of patients who have contracted the virus being treated at the Royal Liverpool Hospital's specialist infectious diseases unit, having been brought in from elsewhere.

But this is the first confirmed case involving a Liverpool resident.

Public Health England is currently contacting people who may have had close contact with the confirmed case.

Close contacts will be given health advice about symptoms and emergency contact details to use if they become unwell in the 14 days after they had contact with the confirmed case.

The news comes after a Wirral resident was confirmed as having the virus yesterday - prompting the closure of Hilbre High School in West Kirby, where their child attended.

Today it was revealed that 34 new cases had been confirmed in the UK - taking the total number to 85.

The Liverpool case is one of the new cases confirmed by Public Health England today.