Sunderland news LIVE: Coronavirus latest as most recent figures show that a further 14 deaths in England bring the total number of deaths for the UK up to 69

Hello and welcome to our live blog where we will be bringing you the latest updates on coronavirus throughout the day. 

Yesterday the Government introduced new measures in a bid to prevent the further spread of the illness. 

We will keep you up to date with developments on the situation in the North East and across the country.

Follow our coverage for breaking incidents across the region. 

As of 9am on March 16, there are a total of 1,543 cases in the UK and 55 people have died. 

In the North East and Yorkshire there is a total of 86 cases.

Boris Johnson has advised the public about “non-essential” travel and avoiding crowded places such as pubs and social clubs during the coronavirus outbreak.

He urged members of the public to work from home where possible but said schools would remain open at this time. 

He said now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential social contact.  This advice particularly applied to those over 70, those with underlying health conditions and pregnant women. 

The public should only use the NHS when they really need to and should use the online NHS service. 

The measures aim to slow the spread of the illness, reduce the number of victims and reduce the number of fatalities. 

Shows at the Sunderland Empire Theatre have been ‘temporarily suspended’ with immediate effect because of coronavirus.

Shows at the Sunderland Empire Theatre have been temporarily suspended with immediate effect because of coronavirus, following advice from Boris Johnson about “non-essential” travel and avoiding crowded places.

The Customs House has said it will not host any further shows “until further notice” after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people should avoid theatres to reduce the risk of spreading the coronaviru

The University of Sunderland has decided all face-to-face classroom teaching and assessments will stop in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The university said its announcement followed on from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s latest address, which said people should start working from home wherever they could and avoi pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues

A new drive has launched to recruit volunteers to help vulnerable people through the coronavirus outbreak.

The most common symptoms of coronavirus are:

New continuous cough or high temperature (37.8 degrees or higher)   If you have these symptoms, it’s important that you stay at home for seven days to help protect your friends and neighbours. 

Canada, Norway and Denmark are among a host of countries who have announced emergency border closures in a bid to impede the spread of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 6,000 people.

The Foreign Office (FCO) has advised British nationals against “all but essential” travel to many parts of the world due to the risk posed by the virus, or the risk of being cut off as transport links are shut.

The EU has also announced plans for a 30-day ban on non-residents entering the bloc, although senior figures are keen that borders between member states remain open.

Many European countries have already announced their own containment measures to try and get a grip on the pandemic, including shutting their doors to foreign nationals.

Italy is in lockdown and the Italian authorities have advised against travel for tourism purposes and said tourists already on holiday in Italy should limit their movements to those necessary to return to the place where they live.

Spain has introduced a state of emergency on March 14 banning public gatherings and temporarily closing all non-essential business.

The FCO advises against all but essential travel to the country.

In Greece everyone arriving from abroad was required to self-isolate for 14 days as of Monday. The government has also prohibited the docking of cruise ships and sail boats in Greek ports.

A petition has been launched for prioritisation of testing for NHS staff so that those who need to stay away do so, with a clear conscience, and those who can work can do so, with a clear conscience. 

So far it has racked up  177,348 signatures.

To sign the petition visit: https://www.change.org/p/test-frontline-nhs-staff-for-covid-19-as-a-priority-coronavirusoutbreak/psf/promote_or_share

Asda CEO Roger Burnley has reassured customers staff are working hard to keep shelves stocked during coronavirus outbreak.

In a letter to customers he said: “I wanted to personally reassure you that we are working really hard to keep our shelves stocked and to serve your community.

“We’re making every effort to try and help limit the spread of bacteria and viruses and have put additional cleaning materials in our stores. 

“We’ve also asked our cleaners to focus on cleaning more frequently in the ‘high traffic’ areas. 

“To make it easier for you to clean trollies and baskets before you use them, we’re topping up the cleaning stations in our foyers even more regularly.

“Online Demand for online shopping has increased and we’re delivering as many orders as we possibly can. 

If you do need to self-isolate for any reason, I’d just ask that you let us know of your situation in the ‘Other Information’ section when placing your order. 

“Let us know where you’d like your order to be left – be that your doorstep or communal entrance and our drivers will bring it there for you.

“We’re working around the clock to make sure we’re doing everything we can to keep products available – and in some cases, such as with hand sanitizer, cleaning products and baby formula – we have implemented a limit on the number of items that can be purchased to make sure everyone can get what they need.

 “I’d also ask that you try to shop responsibly and not buy more than you need so that everyone, including the vulnerable, have access to the essentials.”

The Gym Group, which has gyms in South Shields and Newcastle, is remaining open during the coronavirus outbreak at this moment in time.

In a letter to customers it said is following the advice and guidance of Public Health England and it has made some changes to cleaning routines, with a particular focus on PIN pads, door handles, lockers, vending machines and high use gym equipment. 

It will provide extra cleaning equipment on gym floors to enable customers to clean equipment after their workouts.

 Staff are also increasing the frequency of checks to the hand wash facilities and ensure that there is plenty of soap available, with checks taking place every 30 minutes.

MyDentist which has practices in Sunderland and South Tyneside is remaining open during the coronavirus outbreak.

In an email to patients it said: “We have introduced a series of measures to protect our patients and colleagues, including: “Reinforcing our comprehensive cleaning regimes across all practices
Increasing the frequency of cleaning, particularly of surfaces that are often touched, such as bannisters and door handles.

“Ensuring all toilet facilities are continually topped up with soap and providing additional hand sanitiser to practices, whenever it can be sourced. 

“All of our practices are open as normal and, if you have an appointment booked with us in the near future, we look forward to seeing you then. 

“In the meantime, we are encouraging all patients to check the latest Government advice before booking or attending an appointment.”

The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art has said that it is closed to visitors until further notice. 

In a statement to visitors it said: “Following updates from the Government and guidelines from the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England in relation to Coronavirus, BALTIC, Gateshead will be closed to the public from 6pm on Monday, March 16 until further notice.”