A POPULAR Cumbrian music festival has been cancelled amid growing concerns about coronavirus as officials confirmed there were no new confirmed cases in the county.

As of 9am yesterday, there were still only five people in Cumbria had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, while across the north west region were 35 confirmed cases. The number of UK cases yesterday stood at 319.

Organisers of the popular Ireby Music announced that this year's event in May has been cancelled because of coronvirus fears.

Meanwhile, following a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency planning committee, Prime Minister Boris Johnston said he expected the virus to spread "in a significant way", but it was deemed too early to move into the next "delay" phase.

That would mean officials accepting coronavirus was escalating as a result of what experts call community transmission, with infection resulting from contact with people who may be impossible to trace.

Cumbria's outbreak has triggered a contact tracing exercise for the five people who are infected - three from Carlisle and two from South Lakeland.

"Four of the five people with the virus in Cumbria are all had all returned from northern Italy," said Colin Cox, the county's Director of Public Health. The fifth person has been in contact with one of the infected people.

"We still have very low numbers of confirmed cases in Cumbria." He said there was no evidence at this stage that Cumbria had reached the "community transmission" stage for the virus, but officials are planning for the government's "worst case" scenario.

This could see up to 80 per cent of the population infected.

In Cumbria, that could mean up to 400,000 people catching the virus. But Mr Cox said the public health strategy was focused on slowing the spread of infection so health services can cope and reminding people that it was those with underlying health problems - particularly respiratory and heart conditions - who were at risk.

He said: "Those figures are not predictions; they are reasonable worst case scenarios. Anybody with a respiratory condition is potentially at high risk and so would be people with a cardiac condition because the two are well connected.

"But if you have general good health the risk is very low. Even the majority of older people with some conditions will make a full recovery."

Cumbria will see a "community transmission" stage for the outbreak, he said.

But the best thing everybody could do was observe strict hygiene - regularly washing your hands for 20 seconds; not shaking hands with people; and avoiding touching your face, he said.

Mr Cox added: "I've seen pictures of empty [shop] shelves without soap and hand washing products, so people are taking the hygiene advice seriously."

In Italy, 366 people have died as a result of the virus, prompting a huge quaratine operation.