North West London dentist diagnosed with coronavirus

No other members of staff had been affected. The practice said he would not be returning to work until fully recovered.

Public Health England has cleared the practice of any risk of infection to staff or patients, and has informed concerned patients that they have been cleared.

The practice manager told the JC: "We're all fine. Being a dental practice, it is a very sterile environment anway; we wear gloves and masks when we see and treat patients; we're always sanitising everything in between patients."

As of 2pm today, the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK had risen to 85 from 51 yesterday.

The World Health Organisation suggests social distancing and washing hands frequently as ways to avoid catching the disease.