Five more cases of Coronavirus revealed in Scotland

One of the confirmed cases is known to be a member of the Scottish female rugby team.

Author: Oliver WrightPublished 7th Mar 2020

There are now 16 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Scotland, as five more people have been diagnosed.

Two new cases, confirmed on Saturday by the Scottish Government, have been reported in Lanarkshire, along with an increase of one case in Lothian, Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Grampian.

The increase matches the jump seen on Friday, the biggest in a single day since the first reported case on Sunday.

Of the 1,680 people tested for the virus, less than one percent have come back positive.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she expects the number of people diagnosed with Covid-19 - the illness cause by this type of coronavirus - to increase "very rapidly'' in the coming days, but hoped to push back the spread of the virus to limit the peak of the outbreak until the spring and summer months.

The news comes as the rest of the UK is dealing with 206 cases of the illness, a rise of 43 on Friday morning's total of 163.

England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty has said the UK is moving from the "contain'' phase to the "delay'' phase in dealing with the outbreak.

One of the confirmed cases is known to be a member of the Scottish female rugby team.

Scottish Rugby made the announcement on Friday, saying the planned women's Six Nations match scheduled to take place at the Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow against France had also been cancelled.

Seven players and team staff were forced to self-isolate following medical advice.

The stadium and adjoining leisure centre were also closed by Glasgow Life - the agency tasked with running the city's leisure facilities - following the announcement.

Clyde News understands the player, who has not been named, had used the facilities and the decision was taken to close it down as a precaution.

Hear all the latest news from across the North of Scotland on MFR. Listen on FM, via our Rayo app, DAB, or smart speaker.