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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed schools in England will not close following the coronavirus pandemic.

There has been mounting pressure for schools to close following the global outbreak of the virus.

Speaking at Downing Street, the Prime Minister said: "We are not, repeat not, closing schools now - the scientific advice is that at the moment this could do more harm than good, but this may change in the future."

The Prime Minister's news follows after Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed Scottish schools would not be forced to close to prevent the spread of the virus in an apparent breach of the COBRA meeting.

England's deputy chief medical officer warned the start of the UK peak of the coronavirus epidemic is expected within the next fortnight.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK jumped by 134 in the last 24 hours and two more people have sadly died after testing positive for illness.

There are now 590 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the UK, 491 of which are in England.

The total number of people who have died after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK is now eight.

More cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Merseyside as the virus has continued to spread throughout the region.

The total number of cases of those confirmed as having Covid-19 has now risen to 590 across the country - its biggest daily increase so far.

And that rise has included additional numbers of confirmed cases in Liverpool and Wirral with first positive tests also in Sefton and Warrington.

The illness has since been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

Follow our new Merseyside coronavirus news Facebook group for all of the latest key updates

Liverpool

There are now eight confirmed cases in the city with an extra two confirmed on Thursday.

This comes after it was confirmed that a surgeon at Aintree Hospital had become the fifth city resident to fall ill.

Wirral

The number of people diagnosed in Wirral is currently four including one confirmed on Thursday.

Wirral Public Health confirmed the previous cases are linked and relate to two residents who recently returned from a trip to Italy. These cases are not related to the previous case announced in Wirral last week.

Julie Webster, Director of Public Health for Wirral Council said: “Today we have been made aware of another two positive COVID-19 cases in the borough. These people had returned from one of the affected areas and have self-isolated accordingly.

“I’d like to reassure people that Wirral Council continues to work with health colleagues to do everything we can to stop the virus spreading and ensure our borough is protected.”

Sefton

Sefton Council also announced its first confirmed case of Covid-19 this week.

The ECHO understands this case is linked to the surgeon at Aintree Hospital who tested positive.

Matt Ashton, Director of Public Health for Sefton, said: "We can confirm that a case of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, has been confirmed in the borough. This case is linked to a known case.

For the latest updates on coronavirus follow our dedicated live blog here.

“We understand that this may cause concern, but we want to reassure residents that we are continuing to work closely with Public Health England, the NHS and all our health and care partners to prevent further spread of the virus.

“Due to patient confidentiality, the exact locations and details of this case cannot be published. We continue to stress the importance of regular hand washing to residents."

Warrington

Further afield saw the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Warrington.

The council tweeted: "A case of #Coronavirus has been confirmed in Warrington.

“We’re working with NHS colleagues to do everything we can to stop the virus spreading and ensure residents are protected.

“If you haven’t been contacted directly by Public Health England you don’t need to do anything. Find information and advice about how to protect yourself here.”

At this stage there are no confirmed cases in St Helens, Knowsley or Halton.

Coronavirus first emerged in the UK after it was announced that almost 100 people would be quarantined at Arrowe Park hospital after being evacuated from Wuhan in China, where the virus originated.

The patients were kept at the Merseyside hospital for two weeks in order to be close to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital if they came down with any symptoms.

After a stressful 14 days, in which patients were tested regularly, the first wave of evacuees were released from Arrowe Park and allowed to go home.

(Image: Getty Images)

Matt Raw, from Cheshire, was one of the first to leave and claimed he would be promptly celebrating his release from isolation with a pint.

On February 22, another group of quarantined patients arrived at Arrowe Park after spending two weeks isolated on Japanese cruise ship, The Diamond Princess liner.

Only a day after arriving in Liverpool, four of the 32 in quarantine tested positive despite not showing any symptoms.

They were then taken to the Royal for treatment.

In the weeks that followed, concern spread across Merseyside as health centres and schools made the decision to close when a possible case was brought to their attention.

A number of people were tested for the virus, including a teacher at Calderstones School, over concerns they may have contracted coronavirus while travelling abroad.



On March 3, Merseyside's first positive coronavirus test was confirmed by Wirral Council.

The parent of a child at Hilbre High School in West Kirby, Wirral, had contracted the virus during a trip to Italy.

The patient was then transferred to a specialist unit for treatment.

The case led to the sudden closure of Hilbre High, after it was revealed that a child of the infected parent had attended school the day before.

In a statement sent out to staff shortly after the diagnosis, the Wirral hospital's chief executive confirmed that the latest case is not linked to the repatriated guests who had previously been quarantined at Arrowe Park.

Just a day later, Liverpool City Council confirmed the city's first case of coronavirus in a patient who is believed to have picked it up during a recent trip to northern Italy.

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

On March 5, Liverpool City Council revealed that two more Liverpool residents had tested positive for the potentially deadly virus.

That brought the total number of cases in the city to three.

The second case was believed to be a child, who was diagnosed at Alder Hey, and who was a close relative of the first person diagnosed in Liverpool.

The third is also believed to have contracted the virus after returning to Liverpool from a trip to Northern Italy.

On Sunday March 8, a new positive test was announced in Liverpool, bringing the total number to four.

The patient was a known contact of one of the previous diagnosed patients and is receiving specialist treatment.

A staff member at Aintree Hospital was the fifth person diagnosed in Liverpool with COVID-19.

The hospital staff member was diagnosed with the virus on Monday morning after returning from Italy, taking the number of confirmed cases in the city to five.

Other staff members at the hospital who may have been in contact with the worker have been sent home to self-isolate.

A trust spokesperson declined to comment on how long the member of staff returned to work for after visiting Italy, and whether they followed the protocols set down by the trust.