Coronavirus: Number of cases double and health chiefs warn all passengers from EasyJet flight

The number of UK patients who have tested positive for coronavirus has jumped from four to eight.

Four more patients in England have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to eight, chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty said.

The news comes after an airline spokeswoman announced every passenger from a flight which landed at London Gatwick last month has been notified that a person on the plane was carrying the virus.

Images from around the world as Coronavirus concerns increase. Left: Disinfection worker at Budapest airport (Picture: Attila Kisbenedek). Top: An EasyJet plane (Picture: JPI Media). Bottom: Bolivian paramedics carry out containment drill (Picture: Aizar Raldes)

An EasyJet spokeswoman said: "EasyJet has been notified by the public health authority that a customer who had recently travelled on one of its flights has since been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

"Public Health England is contacting all passengers who were seated in the vicinity of the customer on flight EZS8481 from Geneva to London Gatwick on 28 January to provide guidance in line with procedures.

"As the customer was not experiencing any symptoms, the risk to others on board the flight is very low.

"We remain in contact with the public health authorities and are following their guidance.

"The health and well-being of our passengers and crew is the airline's highest priority.

"All of the crew who operated have been advised to monitor themselves for a 14-day period since the flight in line with Public Health England advice. Note this happened 12 days ago and none are displaying any symptoms."

Health Chiefs

Four more patients in England have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to eight.

The four people infected are all known contacts of a businessman who was diagnosed in Brighton last week and who contracted the virus at a conference in Singapore.

On his way back the UK, he visited a chalet in a ski region of France, where other Britons were subsequently taken ill with the virus.

The Department of Health said the four people newly-diagnosed contracted the virus in France.

It comes as the Government declared coronavirus a "serious and imminent threat to public health" as it introduced new powers to deal with the spread of the virus.

Under new measures announced on Monday, the Department of Health said people with coronavirus can now be forcibly quarantined and will not be free to leave, and can be forcibly sent into isolation if they pose a threat to public health.

The PA news agency understands that the decision was in response to one of the Britons who returned from Wuhan attempting to leave isolation.

A Government source said "there was someone who was threatening to abscond from Arrowe Park" despite all the Britons who returned on the evacuation flight signing a contract agreeing to a 14-day quarantine period, which ends this Thursday.