Three more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Northern Ireland.
They are all adults who had recently traveled from Italy and are linked to a previous case. It brings the total number of cases to seven.
Health officials said further positive tests had been expected and the region remained in the containment phase.
Meanwhile, a number of football teams are taking precautions after a player recently tested positive, with training and fixtures set to be canceled.
The three new cases in Northern Ireland come as another case was confirmed in the Republic of Ireland, bringing the total there to .
That new case involves a male in the east of the country who had returned from Italy, which has the most serious outbreak in Europe.
Northern Ireland’s Department of Health said staff were working to identify people the patients may have been in contact with to prevent further spread.
The test sample from the latest cases will be sent to a laboratory in England for verification.
Information and advice can be found on the
Public Health Agency website.
Three phases
The first person to be diagnosed in Northern Ireland – which was confirmed last week – was a woman who had returned from northern Italy
. That was followed by confirmation of two more cases on Wednesday – one of those was a postgraduate student at Queen’s University in Belfast.
A group of students at the university were asked to self-isolate as a precautionary measure as a result of that case .
The fourth case, announced on Friday, is an adult who had recently returned from Italy – their diagnosis had been linked to a previous case .
The number of UK cases now stands at
The family of the second person to die in the UK after contracting the virus have paid tribute to the – year-old
The government has updated its advice for travelers from Italy – people who develop symptoms after returning from any part of Italy – not just the north of the country – should self-isolate
- The government has updated its advice for travelers from Italy – people who develop symptoms after returning from any part of Italy – not just the north of the country – should self-isolate
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