Coronavirus cases in the UK have risen to 2,626, the government announced, with 104 deaths in the UK now recorded.

On Wednesday evening, the government confirmed that schools in England would be closed as of this Friday, except for the children of key workers.

One argument for keeping schools open has been to prevent key workers from being forced to stay home to look after children, or else be looked after by their grandparents, who are often in the most vulnerable age category.

Later that evening, it was reported that thousands of troops will be deployed to help tackle the crisis.

The announcements come as schools in Wales and Scotland are set to close this Friday over coronavirus as Boris Johnson imminently awaits a decision on English schools.

Scottish schools are to close at the end of this week, Nicola Sturgeon said, after losing too many staff to continue as normal.

And all schools in Wales will close for an early Easter break by Friday at the latest, the Welsh Government has announced.

The number of people to test positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 9am on Wednesday is 2,626, up from 1,950 at the same time on Monday, according to the Gov.uk website.