Health officials are under pressure to release details of the movements of a British coronavirus "super-spreader", amid fears that the virus is far more contagious than was thought.

The unnamed businessman, who contracted the virus in Singapore, is now known to have infected at least seven fellow Britons in a French ski resort, before returning home to Brighton and falling ill five days later.

Those he infected include the fourth person to have contracted the disease in the UK and patients in Spain and France, all of whom were believed to have been with the "super-spreader".

However, health authorities have refused to provide any details of the man's movements during the five days he spent in the UK before showing symptoms.

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All that is known is that he spent two hours in a local pub the night before being laid low by the illness.

On Sunday (NZT) it emerged the man took the 6.50pm EasyJet flight from Geneva to Gatwick on January 28. The airline said it was notified by Public Health England (PHE) on the evening of February 6, with all 183 passengers now being contacted.

AP Coronavirus. The unnamed businessman, who contracted the virus in Singapore, is now known to have infected at least seven fellow Britons in a French ski resort, before returning home to Brighton and falling ill five days later.

Health officials say they are tracking anyone who was within two metres of the man for more than 15 minutes in the two weeks before his diagnosis, including those on the flight with him. They say those who have not been contacted do not need to take any action.

The middle-aged man caught the virus at a conference in Singapore, before flying to the Alps for a four-day break with friends.

He is understood to have displayed no symptoms at the resort of Les Contamines-Montjoie, where he infected seven people, including Bob Saynor, 48, an environmental consultant, and his nine-year-old son.

Two of the cases were only identified yesterday; one man after flying back to his home near Palma in Majorca and the other having returned to London.

It was not until February 2 - five days after the businessman's return to Brighton - that he fell ill. He was treated in isolation at Royal Sussex Hospital, before being transferred to London.

Five members of staff working at The Grenadier in Hove last Saturday night, when the man visited, have been told to "self-isolate", while a school pupil who is also understood to have had contact with the man, has been advised to remain in isolation for two weeks.

Brighton residents expressed anger at the refusal of the authorities to provide more information. PHE said it would not release patient identifiable information, such as a timeline of movements about any individual who is part of a public health investigation.

Professor Richard Tedder, visiting professor in medical virology, Imperial College London, said last night that given current testing methods, "we are truly flying blind if it is the case that the coronavirus can be transmitted by those without symptoms".

A PHE spokesman said: "We are contacting people who were in close contact with any of the cases that have been confirmed in the UK, to provide them with health advice. We are working closely with the French authorities."