Confirmed coronavirus cases in Sheffield rise to 13

As both unis cancel classes

| UPDATED

Cases of coronavirus in Sheffield have surged by ten in 24 hours to hit 13, health officials have confirmed.

The tally of cases in the city stood at three, but Public Health England (PHE) figures show this rose on Sunday to 13.

One of those infected is a staff member at the University of Sheffield, forcing ten floors of the Arts Tower to go into lockdown for deep cleaning until Wednesday.

The uni said on Friday that it is “also aware of a small number of unrelated suspected student cases of the virus”.

Nationally, Covid-19 cases jumped by 200 to hit 1,372 on Saturday with the death toll climbing to 35. A total of 40,279 people have been tested in the UK.

PHE told The Tab Sheffield that the government’s shift from a “contain” to “delay” phase of the pandemic means medics are now only testing coronavirus patients in hospitals and telling those with minor symptoms to self-isolate in their homes, meaning the total figure could be higher.

Sheffield Uni has cancelled classes from Monday until further notice in a bid to contain the pandemic, with Hallam following suit this afternoon bringing in online-only teaching from next week.



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