A FURTHER 18 cases of coronavirus have been announced in Hampshire, bringing the total past 150 in the county.

The national figures was confirmed as 5,683 cases today, a rise of just over 600 in the previous 24 hours.

However, this is a lower increase than the last few days.

Numbers in Hampshire, not including Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight also jumped, going to 156, remaining the upper tier authority with the highest number of cases in the country.

It was at 138 cases yesterday.

135 patients have recovered, with a total of 281 fatalities due to Covid-19 across the UK.

It comes as the Prime Minister told people most at risk of contracting the virus to stay at home for three months.