Coronavirus: England rugby star Mako Vunipola to miss Six Nations match after self-isolating
The coronavirus outbreak is having a growing impact on sport, with Ireland and Italy's Six Nations match this weekend postponed.
Tuesday 3 March 2020 16:53, UK
England rugby star Mako Vunipola is in self-isolation due to fears over coronavirus after flying back from Tonga via Hong Kong.
The New Zealand-born prop, whose parents are Tongan, was due to link up with the squad on Monday for a training camp ahead of Saturday's Six Nations clash with Wales.
But the 29-year-old will not join his teammates and will miss the match after being advised to self-isolate under current NHS guidelines regarding the spread of COVID-19.
The Foreign Office advises that anyone who returns from Hong Kong with a cough, temperature or shortness of breath, even if the symptoms are mild, should self-isolate and call 111.
A Rugby Football Union (RFU) spokesman said: "Mako is not in camp on medical grounds. He is not sick, but it is a precaution."
The coronavirus outbreak is having a growing impact on the world of sport, with Ireland and Italy's Six Nations fixture this weekend having already been postponed.
Spain's health minister has recommended that Valencia's Champions League last-16 match against Italian side Atlanta is played without fans next Tuesday.
Several top-flight Serie A football matches have also been postponed in Italy, which has become home to the biggest outbreak of the new illness in Europe with more than 2,000 cases and 52 deaths.
Concerns remain that the Olympic Games, due to take place in Tokyo this summer, could also be cancelled.
The entertainment industry is also being significantly affected by the outbreak, with music stars cancelling gigs and growing calls for the release of the next James Bond film - No Time To Die - to be delayed.
Its premiere event in China has already been cancelled, but Daniel Craig's final outing as 007 is still due to hit UK cinemas on 2 April.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK hit 51 earlier on Tuesday, the health secretary announced.
Matt Hancock told parliament the NHS "has been preparing for a pandemic virus for over a decade" - and had "world class expertise to make sense of the emerging data".
But while the UK is currently still in the containment phase, he said further spread of the infection across the world means "we may not be able to contain the virus indefinitely".
There are currently more than 90,000 cases of coronavirus around the world and more than 3,000 deaths.
Earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled a government plan to tackle the spread of the disease following a meeting with senior ministers.
The plan includes having more people work form home, travel restrictions, bringing NHS staff out of retirement, and bigger class sizes in schools.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has also pledged more funds to fight the spread of COVID-19 and has promised more cash in next week's budget.
Virus Outbreak: Global Emergency - Watch a special Sky News programme on coronavirus at 6pm weekdays.