THE third person in the UK to be diagnosed with coronavirus caught it in Singapore and is being treated in South London, it is understood.

The man is thought to have tested positive for the virus in Brighton before being taken to St Thomas's Hospital, near Westminster Bridge.

The new UK patient is understood to be a middle-aged man who was isolated at home, tested positive and was taken to St Thomas's, where he is being treated at a specialist infectious diseases unit.

The government is now telling travellers arriving in the UK from a total of nine Asian countries and territories to check for symptoms.

They are advised to stay at home and call the NHS if they are ill and have flown home in the past 14 days.

The initial advice had only covered mainland China, but now also includes Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Macau.

Anyone returning in the past fortnight from those place who has symptoms like a cough, fever, or shortness of breath should stay indoors and call the NHS 111 service.

The Department of Health said they should do so "even if symptoms are mild", adding: "These countries have been identified because of the volume of air travel from affected areas, understanding of other travel routes and number of reported cases. This list will be kept under review."

It had previously been reported that the latest patient was at Guy's Hospital in the city.