Around 1.4 million people who are most at risk from coronavirus will be told to ‘stop all social contact’ from Monday.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said the most vulnerable members of society will be told to carry out stricter social distancing measures for a period of 12 weeks and that further advice would be issued to those affected in the coming days.

Mr Hancock said people including cancer patients and severe asthma sufferers should “take themselves away from all social contact from Monday onwards”.

At present, anyone with an underlying health condition such as those who usually receive an NHS flu jab, people with weakened immune systems and anyone over 70 is told to be “particularly stringent in following social distancing measures”.

It is understood that those in the ‘most at risk’ group will be given further advice before Monday via a text message or letter.

The group includes those with particular underlying health conditions, who are most vulnerable to getting complications from Covid-19, and is not defined by age.

It includes:

People with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radiotherapy

People with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia who are at any stage of treatment

People with severe chest conditions such as cystic fibrosis or severe asthma (requiring hospital admissions or courses of steroid tablets)

People with severe diseases of body systems, such as severe kidney disease (dialysis)

People who have received an organ transplant and remain on ongoing immunosuppression medication

The Health Secretary told Sky News: “We expect about 1.4 million people to get a communication from the NHS to say that they are part of this and what they need to do.

(Image: PA)

“Many of these people have pre-existing health conditions and so will be very worried right now, and I understand that, and they’ll need very specific sets of action – for instance, how do you go about still getting your chemo if you have cancer whilst also social-distancing?

“If you have cancer it’s particularly important to stay away from other people, but you also of course have got to keep going with your chemotherapy.”

He added: “These are some of the most difficult and challenging cases so we’ll be getting in contact with them, but if people think that they are on this list and don’t receive a communication from the NHS, then they also need to get in contact.

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“So that is under way, the money was announced for it yesterday. A combination of money to the NHS and money to councils because they’ve got a very big part to play in keeping people safe.”

The Number 10 spokesman said guidance for the 1.4 million people who are considered most at risk from coronavirus would be published “in the coming days”.