The number of deaths of Britons with coronavirus jumped by 14 in the last 24 hours to 35, while the number of people diagnosed rose by 20 per cent to 1,372, Reuters quoted health authorities as saying on Sunday.

The British government said earlier on Sunday it would step up its response to the crisis, including isolating older people “in the coming weeks”.

A total of 40,279 people have been tested in the country, the health ministry said on Sunday.