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Its daily update on confirmed cases of the virus, also known as COVID-19, said the number had increased to 273 as of 9am on March 8. The figure stood at 206 at the same time on March 7.

It comes as a third person in Leeds had tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total of confirmed cases in Yorkshire up to 10. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said due to the volume of coronavirus patients it can no longer comment on individual cases.

The Health Secretary has praised a group of people released from quarantine after returning from a coronavirus-hit cruise ship for setting a "good example" to the public.

Red Cross personnel prepare for the transport of a Coronavirus patient during a simulation, in Rome. Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

Third patient in Leeds tests positive for coronavirus

A group of 30 Britons and two Irish nationals were released from isolation at Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral on Sunday having been given the all-clear from infection.

They were repatriated from Japan last month having been passengers on the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Around 700 people caught the illness while the ship was held in quarantine for several weeks - more than a quarter of the 2,600 people on board.

Thanking Arrowe Park's staff and the quarantined group, Mr Hancock said: "Tackling coronavirus is a national effort and they have set a good example for the rest of the public as more people may need to self-isolate themselves at home.

"Public safety is our top priority and we all have a part to play in containing the spread of the virus."

Number of confirmed coronavirus cases in UK continues to rise