London, March 18, 2020 (AltAfrica)-A small number of staff at the UK prime minister’s office are self isolating due to symptoms of the coronavirus, the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg twitted

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A small number of No 10 staff are self isolating due to symptoms of the corona virus – it's understood none of them have been in close proximity to the Prime Minister

— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) March 18, 2020

She understands none of those isolating have been in close proximity to Boris Johnson.

People with symptoms are advised to isolate for seven days if they live alone or 14 days if they live with others.

It comes as one of the UK’s leading epidemiologists, Prof Neil Ferguson, said he developed symptoms of the virus after spending time in Downing Street on Monday.

He described Westminster and central London as a “hotbed” for Covid-19.

Health Minister Nadine Dorries became the first MP to test positive for coronavirus last week. A second member of the government, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, said he was self-isolating.

Another MP, Kate Osborne, has tested positive and several others have said they are self-isolating.Article share tools

Meanwhile, the coronavirus death toll in the UK has reached 104 after NHS England said a further 32 people had died in England after testing positive.

This brings the total number of confirmed reported deaths in England to 104. The patients were aged between 59 and 94 years old and had underlying health conditions.

• More than 200,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed around the world since the outbreak began, and more than 8,000 people have died.
• In the UK, more than 700 cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to more than 2,600. Both Scotland and Wales have announced the closure of schools, and a decision about England is “imminent”, according to the government
• Spain has closed all hotels nationwide as it grapples with its own outbreak, centred largely in the capital Madrid.
• The European Union has begun a 30-day ban on travellers entering from outside the bloc. EU leaders have also agreed that internal borders that have been erected in recent days should come down.
• Meanwhile the US-Canada border – the world’s largest land border between two countries – is set to close. Details have yet to be announced, but the leaders of both countries have confirmed it is taking place.
• Nigeria has placed a travel ban on people coming from 13 countries worst affected by coronavirus as five new cases are recorded in Africa’s most-populous nation.