THE number of coronavirus cases in Bradford has jumped to three as the Prime Minister said the pandemic “is the worst public health crisis for a generation”.

Two extra cases were reported in the district by Public Health England.

Also two Covid-19 cases have been reported in Calderdale and four in North Yorkshire.

Leeds now has seven cases and Kirklees one.

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No further details had been given by the authorities about each of the cases.

Sarah Muckle, director of Public Health at Bradford Council, said the Council had not been told any more about the cases.

She added: "If they are found to have complications then they would contact us to give more details.

"Obviously the message is still the same. We are doing everything we can but people can play their part by washing their hands and follow guidance.

"Hospitals, the CCGs and ourselves are working together using the pandemic plan.

"Everything than can be done is being done."

Council leader Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe said that the pandemic virus plans was updated three months ago and the council was working with its partners to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

Some people compare it to seasonal flu, alas that is not right. Due to the lack of immunity this disease is more dangerous" - Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson set out measures yesterday that could “cause severe disruption” for many months.

He said anyone with coronavirus symptoms, however mild, such as a continuous cough or high temperature, must now stay at home for seven days.

He said school trips abroad should be stopped, while people over 70 with serious medical conditions should not go on cruises.

But Mr Johnson said there was no need to close schools now as the scientific advice “is that this could do more harm than good”.

He said this tactic may change at some point while in the future anybody living with somebody who is taken ill could be told to self-isolate for seven days.

That measure is not being advised yet, the PM said, but he added: “I want to signal now that this is coming down the track.”

Mr Johnson said families would continue to “lose loved ones before their time” as the coronavirus outbreak worsens.

“We’ve all got to be clear, this is the worst public health crisis for a generation,” said the PM.

“Some people compare it to seasonal flu, alas that is not right.

“Due to the lack of immunity this disease is more dangerous.

“It is going to spread further and I must level with you, I must level with the British public: many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time.”

He said there was a need to delay the spread of Covid-19 to “minimise the suffering” and reduce the impact on the NHS.

“If you have coronavirus symptoms however mild, either a new continuous cough or a high temperature, then you should stay at home for at least seven days to protect others and help slow the spread of the disease,” the PM said.

The Government was also “considering the question of banning major public events such as sporting fixtures”, he said.

“And the scientific advice, as we’ve said over the last couple of weeks, is that banning such events will have little effect on the spread but there’s also the issue of the burden that such events can place on public services.”

Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s chief scientific adviser, said the actual number of people infected in the UK at the moment could be between 5,000 and 10,000.

“Currently we are on a trajectory that looks as though it is about four weeks or so behind Italy and some other countries in Europe,” he said, adding that more than 20 people in the UK with the virus were in intensive care units.

The chief medical officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, said - in agreement with counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - the risk rating from coronavirus has been raised to high.

Explaining the advice to self-isolate for seven days if people have a cough or temperature, Prof Whitty acknowledged it was “something which will interfere with their lives and interfere with their work and their social life in quite significant ways”. But he said “it helps to protect older and more vulnerable people” they might come into contact with and would also reduce, and possibly delay, the peak of the epidemic, making it easier for the NHS to cope.

The Prime Minister added: “There is no escaping the reality that these measures will cause severe disruption across our country for many months. The best scientific advice is that this will help us slow the disease and save lives.”

In a message to the elderly, Mr Johnson said that although the disease was “particularly dangerous” for them, the vast majority would experience “a mild-to-moderate illness”.

Mr Johnson warned that the most dangerous period is some weeks away. He added: “The most important task will be to protect our elderly and most vulnerable people during the peak weeks when there is the maximum risk of exposure to the disease and when the NHS will be under the most pressure.”

The Government has moved to the delay phase of its four-part plan. It came as two more deaths were announced in British hospitals and the number of people in the UK who have officially tested positive for coronavirus reached 596. Ten people have died in the UK.

The latest deaths were of an 89-year-old at Charing Cross Hospital in London and a woman in her 60s at Queen’s Hospital in Romford. Both had underlying health conditions.

From Monday, mass gatherings in Scotland above 500 people are set to be restricted, while Ireland announced the closure of schools and tourist attractions until the end of the month.