The two confirmed coronavirus cases were tourists staying in York hotel

Two relatives who have tested positive for coronavirus are reported to have been Chinese tourists who were staying in a York hotel, according to the Daily Mail.

The hotel, StayCity hotel which is located next to the Barbican Theatre and a short walk to city centre, reported that a man was taken by ambulance to hospital on Wednesday evening.

A spokesperson for the hotel told YorkPress at the time: "StayCity Group have confirmed that a man, believed to be a Chinese national, staying at the group's property in York was taken ill and is understood to be undergoing tests at a local hospital."

StayCity hotel has remained open since Wednesday. However, the apartment where the family were staying and any "surrounding rooms" have been "cordoned off" within the hotel. After which the area will undergo a "thorough environmental clean and disinfection, as is company policy."

The two family members have since been rushed into quarantine at a specialist unit at a Newcastle-upon-Tyne hospital where they are being treated for the coronavirus.

The virus has been declared a global health emergency by WHO, World Health Organisation, with the concern of it spreading to countries with weaker health systems.

At least 213 people in Chine have died from the virus, with a reported almost 10,000 cases nationally.

As of Wednesday 161 tests were carried out on people across the UK but all came back with negative results. Including a case in Edinburgh where it was believed to be a student at the University of Edinburgh.

Some British universities also warned staff and students travelling to and from areas in China where the coronavirus was spreading to seek medical advice.

Dundee University – whose architecture department has a partnership with Wuhan University – advised caution amongst the 34 students from Wuhan it is hosting when receiving care packages containing food.