A PARAMEDIC in Hertfordshire has tested positive for coronavirus – as officials scramble to find anyone they were in contact with.

The medic is with the East of England Ambulance Service and is thought to have treated people before becoming unwell with the killer bug.

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Marcus Bailey, Chief Medical Officer, said: "Our first priority is protecting the public and staff.

"We are currently contacting everyone who has been in contact with the paramedic and they will be given health advice about symptoms and emergency contact details to use if they become unwell in the 14 days after they had contact with the confirmed case."

An NHS Spokesperson added: “The Chief Medical Officer today confirmed a further case of COVID-19 who is a resident of Hertfordshire and a paramedic with the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST).

“There are well established procedures that are being followed in a case such as this and the NHS and Public Health England are taking all necessary steps to manage the situation.”

As the number of people who have been infected with coronavirus in the UK rises to more than 450, with global cases above 100,000, concerns about schools shutting continue to grow.

Experts in the UK say the country could go into lock down in a matter of weeks – with it thought we could move into the delay phase today.

The PM is set to put Brits on notice that they could face sweeping restrictions on their lives.

It means the public could be told to start working from home and to scale back their socialising as the country tries to get a grip on the outbreak.

KILLER BUG

Two more elderly Brits have died from coronavirus bringing the UK toll to eight after the number of cases jumped to 460.

A total of 87 people have tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours, the biggest daily increase since the start of the outbreak.

Care homes could place extra restrictions on visitors to protect the elderly, who are most likely to die from the killer bug.

While any Brit with a cold, cough, sniffle or fever could be told to stay at home for a week to help halt the spread of the infection.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreak a global pandemic as 126,000 people have been diagnosed with the killer bug across 114 countries.

More than 4,600 people have died – around 3,000 of them in China – after contracting COVID-19 across the globe.

WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the medical body has "rung the alarm bell loud and clear".

Mr Johnson is expected to declare the major shift as he chairs an emergency COBRA meeting at lunchtime.

Speaking in the Commons yesterday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Parliament will continue to sit through the crisis as he called on the nation to pull together.

He said: "I know how worrying this is, I know people have deep concerns, I know everyone will play their part in this national effort to defeat the virus.

"The best way to beat it is for us to work together and we'll do whatever it takes, we'll give the NHS whatever it needs and we'll do all that we can to keep people safe and get through this together as a Parliament and as a nation."

It comes as Donald Trump suspended ALL flights to the US from Europe except UK and Ireland for the next 30 days due to the killer bug.

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