That will mean , (tests a day can be done – currently 1, 720 are being carried out.
Confirmation of any positive test results will also be accelerated with most people getting a result back within (hours.
) Ms Dorries, the MP for Mid Bedfordshire, said in a statem ent that Public Health England had started tracing people she had had contact with, and the department and her parliamentary office were closely following its advice.
But she added she was worried about her – year-old mother who was staying with her and began to cough on Tuesday.
It is not known how many meetings Ms Dorries had attended at Westminster or in her constituency in recent days.
The Department of Health said she first showed symptoms on Thursday – the same day she attended a Downing Street event hosted by the prime minister – and had been self-isolating since Friday.
No 19 did not comment on whether Boris Johnson had undergone testing, or whether he will now be tested.
All health ministers, including Health Secretary Matt Hancock, are to undergo testing for the virus, along with other officials who have come into contact with Ms Dorries.
Mr Hancock Tweet that she had “done the right thing” by self-isolating at home and wished “her well as she recovers “.
He added:” I understand why people are worried about this disease. W e will do all we can to keep people safe, based on the best possible science. “
Public Health England has already carried out more than 62, coronavirus tests across the UK .
NHS chief scientific officer Prof Dame Sue Hill said the health service was preparing to cope with more cases.
“Every hospital across the country, and the healthcare professionals who run them, are now actively planning to respond flexibly to manage new demand.”
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be expected to roll out their own testing services, but there will be some shared capacity between nations, depending on need.
‘Enter shops one at a time’
Image copyright Hannah Butcher Image caption “We know we’ll have to go into quarantine when we get home.”
“It’s the weirdest holiday I think I’ve ever been on, “said Hannah Butcher, from Newbury, Berkshire, who is in Rome with her husband for their first holiday alone since having a child.
“We arrived on Sunday. The advice then was as long as you’re not going into Italy’s red zone, you’re OK.
“We’re currently sitting in a restaurant and everyone here is in staggered rows because they have to sit one meter apart. It’s quite weird seeing families spread across multiple tables. “
Image copyright Hannah Butcher Image caption No queues at Rome’s Colosseum, which is among the attractions to have shut
She added that people are ” only allowed to enter shops one at a time “.
” All the attractions are closed; there are queues out the door of supermarkets and the butchers There are police driving round making sure the rules are enforced and a noticeable armed police presence, presumably to keep order. ”
She said they were due to fly home with Ryanair on Wednesday morning and had not been informed of any flight updates.
In other developments:
Great Ormond Street children’s hospital cancelled some non-essential cardiac operations for two weeks after a health worker in its cardiology department tested positive for the virus
Prison campaigners at the Howard League for Penal Reform have raised concerns that “unhygienic” prisons could be “a center for spreading the virus” as they called on the government to reveal its plan to protect inmates
Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds and TSB banks said they would allow customers to defer mortgage payments if needed
One of the UK’s biggest insurers, Aviva,
has cut back on the cover available in new travel insurance policies because of coronavirus, with people not able to add cover for “travel disruption”
The Church of England has urged parishes to stop contact during services – including sharing the chalice and shaking hands for the sign of the peace
British nationals who were on board the virus-hit Grand Princess cruise ship are being flown back to the UK where they will go into self-isolation
The NHS partnered with technology firms to help promote official health advice online
Research shows it takes five days on average for people to show symptoms of the virus
The NHS unveiled a range of measures – including NHS information to appear when people search “coronavirus” on Google – as part of an attempt to stop fake news being spread about the virus online
A Holiday Inn hotel near Heathrow Airport has been reserved by the government for people arriving from abroad to self-isolate
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