The UK has seen its biggest day-on-day increase in coronavirus cases, bringing the total number to 85.
Some 29 of the 34 new patients had recently travelled to affected countries or picked it up from others who had done so, the UK's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty said.
But it is not clear how three new patients in England were infected.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock will chair a Cobra meeting at 17:00 GMT, Downing Street said.
Prof Whitty - who earlier said an epidemic in the UK was "likely" - said people who have been in contact with the new patients are being traced.
Of the 85 cases in the UK, there are 80 in England, three in Scotland, one in Wales and one in Northern Ireland.
In "the worst case scenario", up to 80% of the UK population could be infected with coronavirus, which causes the disease Covid-19, Prof Whitty said.
But he said a move to lock down entire towns and cities across the UK would be "very unlikely".
In other key developments:
Italy is considering closing schools and universities across the country until mid-March - a decision will be taken "in the next few hours", its education minister says. Italy is the worst-hit European country with some 2,260 cases and 79 deaths so far - including more than 20 in the past 24 hours
Guests who left a quarantined hospital in Tenerife have been told to self-isolate for a further week after a British woman at the hotel tested positive on 2 March
CCTV images have been released of four men wanted over an alleged racist attack on London's Oxford Street, reportedly motivated by virus fears
Prof Whitty said the new cases in the UK included 32 patients from England.
"Twenty-nine patients were diagnosed who had recently travelled from recognised countries or from recognised clusters which were under investigation," he said.
"Three additional patients contracted the virus in the UK and it is not yet clear whether they contracted it directly or indirectly from an individual who had recently returned from abroad.
"This is being investigated and contact tracing has begun."
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Earlier, Prof Whitty said that up to 80% of the UK population could be infected with coronavirus, which causes the disease Covid-19, "in the worst case scenario".
But he said a move to lock down entire towns and cities across the UK would be "very unlikely".
Hospitals in England are being asked to carry out more consultations by video to reduce the risk of the virus spreading.
A major public health campaign urging people to wash their hands regularly for at least 20 seconds has also been launched.
Sick pay
Boris Johnson has said that workers will get statutory sick pay from the first day they are off work to help contain the virus.
In the Commons earlier, he said people who self-isolate should not be "penalised for doing the right thing".
That means those receiving statutory sick pay would get an extra £40 a week.
British stocks surged on Tuesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve surprised markets with an intra-meeting half-point rate cut.
The rate cut — hours after a Group of Seven statement that left it to each country for fiscal and monetary policy in the wake of the coronavirus — sent the FTSE 100
UKX, +0.95%
up by 2.3%, putting the index on track for its best one-day percentage gain since May 8, 2015.
The Bank of England also is expected to cut interest rates at its regularly scheduled meeting at the end of the month, though only by a quarter-point, as its current base rate is just 0.75%. The British pound
GBPUSD, +0.4234%
jumped after the U.S. rate cut on the narrowing interest-rate differentials.
FTSE 100 gainers included hard-hit British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines
IAG, +7.23%
which jumped 9.2%, and Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust
SMT, +3.86%
, which rallied nearly 6%.
Of stocks in the move in London, direct marketer 4imprint Group
FOUR, +15.07%
surged 17% after reporting a 22% pretax profit rise, hiking its dividend by 20% and saying trading in the first two months of 2020 have been in line with expectations.
Industrial equipment maker Rotork
ROR, +9.61%
climbed after reporting a 2.9% increase in adjusted pretax profit rise despite a 3.8% revenue decline. Analysts at UBS said the company’s controls division benefited from procurement and productivity savings.
Direct Line Insurance
DLG, +3.78%
rose 4.5% as the car insurer reported a 10% drop in operating profit in 2019 — which wasn’t as steep as analysts had forecast — alongside a 2.9% dividend increase and a £150 million stock buyback program.
Finablr
FIN, -2.12%
shares slumped by a double-digit percentage for the second straight day. On Monday, Finablr said its Travelex unit’s underlying operating will be hurt by £25 million due to the cyber attack, though it did note that a cyber-insurance policy will eventually offset a “material proportion.” Travelex is also being hurt by a lack of travel from the coronavirus.
Up to a fifth of the workforce may be off sick during the peak of a coronavirus epidemic in the UK, the government says in its latest plans.
Police may need to focus on only the most serious crimes and maintaining public order if the virus spreads.
The military could also provide support to emergency services if needed.
The government's response is in its first stage - containing the outbreak - with the number of UK cases rising from 39 to 51 on Tuesday.
If the virus becomes widespread, some non-urgent hospital care may be delayed to focus on treating those who are infected, while recently retired doctors and nurses may be called back to work.
Other possible measures include school closures, reducing large-scale gatherings and working from home.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government was committed to doing "everything possible" to "prepare for all eventualities" and its priority was keeping the country safe.
Speaking in the House of Commons later, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was "becoming more likely we will see widespread transmission" of the virus across the UK.
He said that tackling the spread was "a national effort", adding: "We need everyone to listen to and act on official medical advice."
While the vast majority of patients will have a mild to moderate illness, similar to seasonal flu, a minority will require hospital care and a small proportion could die, the plans warn.
There are no estimates given in the plans but they do warn of an increase in deaths, particularly among vulnerable and elderly groups.
Young children can become infected and "suffer severe illness", but overall the illness is less common in the under-20s.
It is possible an outbreak could come in multiple waves, the government said.
The next stages of the government's response are delaying the spread of the virus and mitigating its impact once it becomes established.
Alongside this, a research programme is aiming to improve diagnostics and treatment for the disease.
The prime minister said he "fully understood" the public concern about the spread of the virus and it was "highly likely" the UK would see a growing number of cases.
"That's why keeping the country safe is the government's overriding priority, and our plan means we are committed to doing everything possible, based on the advice of our world-leading scientific experts, to prepare for all eventualities," Mr Johnson said.
He reiterated that the "single most important thing" people could do was wash their hands with soap and hot water for the length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.
"But at this stage… I want to stress that for the vast majority of the people of this country, we should be going about our business as usual," Mr Johnson added.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
The prime minister said schools should stay open "if possible" and follow advice from Public Health England.
Evidence suggested children were less likely to be infected and they were more likely to get mild symptoms, England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty added.
Closures would also bring "a considerable burden", including on the NHS, as workers would need to stay at home to look after their children.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said there were currently no plans to postpone the London Marathon nor to restrict public transport.
Other measures in the plan include:
Hospital discharges could be monitored to free-up beds, with appropriate care given in people's homes
Helping businesses with short-term cash flow problems, including giving them longer to pay bills
A "distribution strategy" for the UK's stockpiles of key medicines and equipment such as protective clothing, which will cover the NHS and could extend to social care
All government departments are to have a lead person for coronavirus
The battle plan stops short of predicting how many people would be infected in an epidemic in the UK.
Worst case scenario modelling suggests 80% of people can become infected when there is a new virus like this.
But officials believe it will not be this high.
The evidence suggests just over half of people infected develop symptoms and 1% of those infected could die. The elderly and those with existing health conditions are the most at risk.
If there is a widespread transmission - which seems highly likely at this stage - it could take two or three months to peak. The peak would last two or three weeks and about 50% of people who become infected could become infected in those peak weeks.
There would then be a period of two or three months of declining cases, although the battle plan acknowledges there could be multiple waves.
The government is likely to use its most drastic measures at its disposal just ahead of the peak in an attempt to flatten it.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has ordered Treasury officials to work up plans to support the public health response, businesses and the economy in his Budget on 11 March.
The health secretary told MPs that people who needed to self-isolate to protect others were entitled to sick pay.
However, Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth has called for emergency legislation to ensure those working on insecure contracts in the gig economy were also guaranteed sick pay.
He also urged the government to provide emergency funding to help the NHS deal with the outbreak.
As of Monday morning, the Department of Health said 13,525 people had been tested in the UK. Out of the positive cases, 12 people have recovered.
Globally, about 86,000 people have been infected, with cases in more than 50 countries. More than 3,000 people have died - the vast majority in China's Hubei province, where the outbreak originated in December.
What questions do you have about the UK's preparations?
In some cases your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.
Use this form to ask your question:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.
Up to a fifth of the workforce may be off sick during the peak of a coronavirus epidemic in the UK, the government says in its latest plans.
Police may need to focus on only the most serious crimes and maintaining public order if the virus spreads.
The military could also provide support to emergency services if needed.
The government's response is in its first stage - containing the outbreak - with the number of UK cases rising from 39 to 51 on Tuesday.
If the virus becomes widespread, some non-urgent hospital care may be delayed to focus on treating those who are infected, while recently retired doctors and nurses may be called back to work.
Other possible measures include school closures, reducing large-scale gatherings and working from home.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government was committed to doing "everything possible" to "prepare for all eventualities" and its priority was keeping the country safe.
Speaking in the House of Commons later, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was "becoming more likely we will see widespread transmission" of the virus across the UK.
He said that tackling the spread was "a national effort", adding: "We need everyone to listen to and act on official medical advice."
While the vast majority of patients will have a mild to moderate illness, similar to seasonal flu, a minority will require hospital care and a small proportion could die, the plans warn.
There are no estimates given in the plans but they do warn of an increase in deaths, particularly among vulnerable and elderly groups.
Young children can become infected and "suffer severe illness", but overall the illness is less common in the under-20s.
It is possible an outbreak could come in multiple waves, the government said.
The next stages of the government's response are delaying the spread of the virus and mitigating its impact once it becomes established.
Alongside this, a research programme is aiming to improve diagnostics and treatment for the disease.
The prime minister said he "fully understood" the public concern about the spread of the virus and it was "highly likely" the UK would see a growing number of cases.
"That's why keeping the country safe is the government's overriding priority, and our plan means we are committed to doing everything possible, based on the advice of our world-leading scientific experts, to prepare for all eventualities," Mr Johnson said.
He reiterated that the "single most important thing" people could do was wash their hands with soap and hot water for the length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.
"But at this stage… I want to stress that for the vast majority of the people of this country, we should be going about our business as usual," Mr Johnson added.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
The prime minister said schools should stay open "if possible" and follow advice from Public Health England.
Evidence suggested children were less likely to be infected and they were more likely to get mild symptoms, England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty added.
Closures would also bring "a considerable burden", including on the NHS, as workers would need to stay at home to look after their children.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said there were currently no plans to postpone the London Marathon nor to restrict public transport.
Other measures in the plan include:
Hospital discharges could be monitored to free-up beds, with appropriate care given in people's homes
Helping businesses with short-term cash flow problems, including giving them longer to pay bills
A "distribution strategy" for the UK's stockpiles of key medicines and equipment such as protective clothing, which will cover the NHS and could extend to social care
All government departments are to have a lead person for coronavirus
The battle plan stops short of predicting how many people would be infected in an epidemic in the UK.
Worst case scenario modelling suggests 80% of people can become infected when there is a new virus like this.
But officials believe it will not be this high.
The evidence suggests just over half of people infected develop symptoms and 1% of those infected could die. The elderly and those with existing health conditions are the most at risk.
If there is a widespread transmission - which seems highly likely at this stage - it could take two or three months to peak. The peak would last two or three weeks and about 50% of people who become infected could become infected in those peak weeks.
There would then be a period of two or three months of declining cases, although the battle plan acknowledges there could be multiple waves.
The government is likely to use its most drastic measures at its disposal just ahead of the peak in an attempt to flatten it.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has ordered Treasury officials to work up plans to support the public health response, businesses and the economy in his Budget on 11 March.
The health secretary told MPs that people who needed to self-isolate to protect others were entitled to sick pay.
However, Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth has called for emergency legislation to ensure those working on insecure contracts in the gig economy were also guaranteed sick pay.
He also urged the government to provide emergency funding to help the NHS deal with the outbreak.
As of Monday morning, the Department of Health said 13,525 people had been tested in the UK. Out of the positive cases, 12 people have recovered.
Globally, about 86,000 people have been infected, with cases in more than 50 countries. More than 3,000 people have died - the vast majority in China's Hubei province, where the outbreak originated in December.
What questions do you have about the UK's preparations?
In some cases your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.
Use this form to ask your question:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.
Up to a fifth of the workforce may be off sick during the peak of a coronavirus epidemic in the UK, the government says in its latest plans.
Police may need to focus on only responding to the most serious crimes and maintaining public order if the virus spreads.
The military could also provide support to emergency services if needed.
Other possible measures include school closures, reducing large-scale gatherings and working from home.
Some non-urgent hospital care may be delayed to focus on treating coronavirus patients, while recently retired doctors and nurses may be called back to work.
At a conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government was committed to doing "everything possible" to "prepare for all eventualities" and its priority was keeping the country safe, as the number of cases in the UK rose to 39.
While the vast majority of patients will have a mild to moderate illness, similar to seasonal flu, a minority will require hospital care and a small proportion could die, the plans warn.
There are no estimates given in the plans but they do warn of an increase in deaths, particularly among vulnerable and elderly groups.
Young children can become infected and "suffer severe illness", but overall the illness is less common in the under-20s.
It is possible an outbreak could come in multiple waves, the government said.
The prime minister said he "fully understood" the public concern about the spread of the virus and it was "highly likely" the UK would see a growing number of cases.
"That's why keeping the country safe is the government's overriding priority, and our plan means we are committed to doing everything possible, based on the advice of our world-leading scientific experts, to prepare for all eventualities," Mr Johnson said.
He reiterated that the "single most important thing" people could do was wash their hands with soap and hot water for the length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.
"But at this stage… I want to stress that for the vast majority of the people of this country, we should be going about our business as usual," Mr Johnson added.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
The prime minister said schools should stay open "if possible" and follow advice from Public Health England.
Evidence suggested children were less likely to be infected and they were more likely to get mild symptoms, England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty added.
Closures would also bring "a considerable burden", including on the NHS, as workers would need to stay at home to look after their children.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said there were currently no plans to postpone the London Marathon nor to restrict public transport.
Other measures in the plan include:
Hospital discharges could be monitored to free-up beds, with appropriate care given in people's homes.
Helping businesses with short-term cash flow problems, including giving them longer to pay bills.
A "distribution strategy" for the UK's stockpiles of key medicines and equipment such as protective clothing, which will cover the NHS and could extend to social care.
All government departments are to have a lead person for coronavirus.
The battle plan stops short of predicting how many people would be infected in an epidemic in the UK.
Worst case scenario modelling suggests 80% of people can become infected when there is a new virus like this.
But officials believe it will not be this high.
The evidence suggests just over half of people infected develop symptoms and 1% of those infected could die. The elderly and those with existing health conditions are the most at risk.
If there is a widespread transmission - which seems highly likely at this stage - it could take two or three months to peak. The peak would last two or three weeks and around 50% of people who become infected could become infected in those peak weeks.
There would then be a period of two or three months of declining cases, although the battle plan acknowledges there could be multiple waves.
The government is likely to use its most drastic measures at its disposal just ahead of the peak in an attempt to flatten it.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has ordered Treasury officials to work up plans to support the public health response, businesses and the economy in his Budget on 11 March.
As of Monday morning, the Department of Health said 13,525 people had been tested in the UK, of which 13,485 were negative. Out of the positive cases, 12 people have recovered.
Globally, about 86,000 people have been infected, with cases in more than 50 countries. More than 3,000 people have died - the vast majority in China's Hubei province, where the outbreak originated in December.
What questions do you have about the UK's preparations?
In some cases your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.
Use this form to ask your question:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.
There could be a "very significant expansion" of the number of cases of coronavirus in the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned.
Speaking to BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Johnson said the possibility of further transmission of the virus was "clearly on the cards".
It comes as the number of cases in the UK rose to 39 on Monday.
Meanwhile, the EU has raised the coronavirus risk level in member states to "moderate to high".
There were four new UK cases announced on Monday, all of whom had travelled to Italy - which has seen the largest outbreak in Europe.
They are from Hertfordshire, Devon and Kent and tracing their contacts has started, England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty said.
It was earlier reported that this took the total to 40. However, a hospital in Middlesex where a doctor was thought to have contracted the virus on Sunday said further tests have proved negative.
A panel of experts and BBC reporters will be answering your questions about the coronavirus outbreak in a special programme on BBC One at 19:30 GMT on Monday
The prime minister said: "The most important thing now is that we prepare against a possible very significant expansion of coronavirus in the UK population."
It is "much more likely than not that we will face a challenge in the weeks, months ahead," he said, adding that the country was "well prepared with a fantastic NHS".
Mr Johnson said that "further protective measures" against the spread of the disease would be announced "as and when that spread happens".
"Don't forget the importance of washing your hands," he added.
How have you been affected by the spread of Covid-19? Share your experience by emailinghaveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
The prime minister was speaking after an emergency Cobra meeting where ministers discussed plans to tackle the spread of coronavirus in the UK - due to be published on Tuesday.
Mr Johnson said plans would include a "range of calibrated responses to the spread of coronavirus".
He said the issue with measures such as closing schools and cancelling major public events would be "when and how and with what logic to deploy them".
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson later confirmed that schools "should stay open unless they're advised otherwise by Public Health England".
The Budget will go ahead as planned on 11 March, despite the impact of the outbreak on the UK and global economy, Downing Street said.
All Six Nations rugby matches currently scheduled are set to go ahead, including Saturday's England v Wales fixture, it has been confirmed.
There has so far been one confirmed case in Scotland, involving a patient who had recently travelled to Italy. Ms Sturgeon said that future cases were likely in the "days to come".
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Earlier, Public Health England (PHE) said widespread transmission of coronavirus in the UK was now "highly likely".
Medical director Prof Paul Cosford said the increase in cases in the UK and abroad meant the UK must be prepared.
If the outbreak worsens, the government has said measures could include asking newly retired doctors and nurses to return to the NHS.
People could also be urged to work from home - and closing schools and cancelling major public events have also not been ruled out.
Legislation allowing the government to use extra powers to help control the spread of the virus is expected to go through Parliament by the end of March.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Meanwhile, British holidaymakers who were quarantined at a hotel in Tenerife are returning home after testing negative for the virus.
More than 700 guests, including hundreds of Britons, were told to isolate at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace last week after a group of Italians contracted the virus.
A Jet2 plane believed to be carrying about 100 passengers from the hotel took off on a dedicated flight on Monday afternoon, and is due to land at Manchester and Belfast later.
Once home, the group must isolate themselves until the original quarantine period ends on 10 March.
Travel firm Tui confirmed 17 of its customers were flown back to the UK on two separate flights to Bristol and Newcastle on Sunday night.
The company's remaining 19 guests will be flown home on Tuesday, subject to their test results, a spokeswoman said.
In other developments:
British Airways has cancelled hundreds of flights between 6 March and 28 March over the outbreak, including flights from London Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports
Ryanair has also reduced the number of flights on some routes, in particular to and from Italy, by up to 25% due to a drop in demand
London hospitality body UK Hospitality, which represents hotels, venues and restaurants has told BBC London that its members in the capital are currently seeing a 10-15% reduction in bookings
Northern Ireland pubs have lost hundreds of thousands of pounds while feeling the "pain" of the coronavirus crisis, an industry chief has claimed
Amazon has pulled out of London Book Fair, which is scheduled to begin on 10 March
Where are the latest UK cases?
There are now 36 cases of coronavirus in England, and one case each in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
On Monday, North East London NHS Foundation Trust, which occupies a space at Vinters Business Park - home to Maidstone Studios - said a worker had been diagnosed with the virus.
The trust said its staff member did not come into contact with patients, and its employees are working from home.
ITV Meridian, which uses Maidstone Studios, has also sent home staff who were at the site last week.
In Hertfordshire, Davenport House Surgery in Harpenden said a patient has been diagnosed with the virus, while a school in Stevenage said a parent has tested positive.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Some 13 new patients in the UK were diagnosed on Sunday, including a member of staff at Wimbledon College.
Three cases in England were linked to a man from Surrey, who was the first patient not to have been abroad recently and was instead infected within the UK.
Meanwhile, a clinician at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Northwood, Middlesex, had been confirmed positive but has since tested negative, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust said.
As of 09:00 GMT on Monday, the Department of Health said a total of 13,525 people had been tested in the UK, of which 13,485 were negative.
Globally, about 86,000 people have been infected, with cases in more than 50 countries. More than 3,000 people have died - the vast majority in China's Hubei province, where the outbreak originated in December.
