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People are being told to prepare in case “social distancing” policies are needed as the number of coronavirus cases in the UK passes 200.

In total, 206 people had tested positive for Covid-19 as of 7am on Saturday, a rise of 42 from the 164 cases which had been confirmed by Friday evening.

The Department of Health said more than 21,000 people had been tested for the virus.

It comes as shoppers across northern Lincolnshire have been clearing the shelves of supermarkets as they stock up on hand sanitiser, soap, toilet roll and medicines as concerns over the spread of the virus grow.

Yesterday, at least one case of coronavirus was confirmed in Lincolnshire - and up to four people may have the infection.

The health body is not publishing exact numbers of cases below five for patient confidentiality reasons.

Meanwhile, the updated figures come as US authorities prepare to respond to a coronavirus-hit cruise ship carrying British passengers off the Californian coast, after 21 people on board tested positive for the illness.

US Vice-President Mike Pence said on Friday that the Grand Princess, carrying more than 3,500 people on board, including 140 Britons, had been directed to a non-commercial port for testing.

(Image: PA)

Meanwhile, the public has been told to prepare itself in case "social distancing" policies are needed to help contain the spread of the virus.

On Friday, it was confirmed that a man in his early 80s had become the second person to die in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus.

The man, who had underlying health conditions, died on Thursday while being treated at Milton Keynes University Hospital.

What is social distancing? According the the government's coronavirus website, its new action plan "recognises that as we start to see more cases in the UK, and more widespread community transmission of the virus, further measures to reduce the contact people have with each other may be needed". It continues: "These measures, sometimes referred to as 'social distancing', could include things like temporarily reducing socialising in public places such as entertainment or sports events, reducing our use of non-essential public transport or recommending more home working. "With each measure, scientists and experts will assess the need for them as the outbreak progresses, balancing their effectiveness against any impact on society. These decisions will recognise that for most people coronavirus will be a mild illness, but it can cause severe symptoms in older people or people with health conditions, and has the potential to increase the demands on our public services, especially the NHS, particularly if large numbers of people became ill at once. "Social distancing isn’t a new idea that’s come about because of coronavirus. These measures are well-established and have been discussed and planned for many years, including as part of the Government’s preparations for a flu pandemic." When will it start? "People will naturally want to know if and when social distancing measures will start but it is not possible to confirm this right now. "These measures will only be implemented if a range of experts and scientists including the UK’s Chief Medical Officers decide they are necessary and proportionate, informed by the latest scientific evidence. "Any decision will balance both the need to protect people, with the social impact and the importance of maintaining day to day life, such as going to work or school. "It is possible that we could first put social distancing measures in place locally, rather than nationally, if there is widespread transmission in a particular area (such as in a village, town or city). Our decisions will be based on the pattern of transmission and evidence on how well the measures could work."

A family member, speaking to the Guardian, has since claimed the hospital was "too slow" to detect the man's symptoms and move him into isolation away from other at-risk patients.

On Thursday evening another patient, reported to be a woman in her 70s, became the first person in the UK to die after being diagnosed with Covid-19 while at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

(Image: AP)

Public Health England (PHE) is contacting people who have had close contact with a second confirmed coronavirus case in Nottingham.

Dr Fu-Meng Khaw, Centre Director, Public Health England East Midlands, said the Nottingham resident was a family member of the city's first case, who recently returned from South Korea.

PHE is also contacting people who had close contact with a Leicestershire resident who is one of the latest confirmed cases of Covid-19.

What are the symptoms of the coronavirus? People with the coronavirus typically suffer from fever and a dry cough initially. This may progress to severe pneumonia and shortness of breath or breathing difficulties. People with weakened immune systems, older people and those will long-term health conditions can experience more severe symtpoms. Travellers returning from parts of the world experiencing an outbreak are advised to self-isolate and contact 111. These areas include the Hubei province of China, Iran, lockdown areas of northern Italy and special care zones of South Korea.

In Scotland, five more people have been diagnosed with coronavirus, with a total of 16 now confirmed.

Two new cases, confirmed on Saturday by the Scottish Government, have been reported in Lanarkshire, with an increase of one case in Lothian, Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Grampian.

So far 45 people on board the Grand Princess have been tested for coronavirus, with 19 of those diagnosed with the virus being crew members.

On board, Jackie Bissell, from Dartford in Kent, said passengers had been given little information on what will happen next.

Meanwhile, Lisa Egan, whose 90-year-old father is on board, called for the ship to be evacuated.

Another Princess Cruise ship carrying Britons, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined for two weeks in Yokohama, Japan, last month because of the virus.

A British tourist who had been on board the ship became the first UK citizen to die after testing positive for the illness.

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Japanese authorities have admitted their handling of the Diamond Princess's quarantine was flawed.

More than a quarter of the 2,600 people on board - around 700 passengers - eventually became infected.

A spokesman for Princess Cruises, which owns the Grand Princess, said it was working with US authorities and awaiting a plan for the ship's future positioning.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to chair a meeting of the Government's Cobra civil contingencies committee on Monday as officials prepare to accelerate work on the delay phase of the Government's plan to tackle the virus.

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Sports governing bodies and broadcasters have also been called to a Government meeting on Monday to discuss how to handle the outbreak's possible impact on the sporting calendar.

Meanwhile, PHE has said people may need to help older relatives and neighbours obtain food supplies if social distancing measures, such as not going to cinemas, pubs or sporting events, are put in place.