THE latest figures show that 578 people in the UK have now died of coronavirus.

According to Public Health England, as of 9am March 26, a total of 104,866 have been tested: 93,208 negative and 11,658 positive. As of 5pm on March 25, of those hospitalised in the UK, 578 have died.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced people who continue to flout coronavirus lockdown rules will be breaking the law and can be arrested as part of new enforcement powers announced by the Home Office.

Officers can also tell them to go home, leave or disperse an area and ensure parents are taking necessary steps to stop their children breaking the law. Those who refuse to comply could be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £60, which will be lowered to £30 if paid within 14 days.

Second-time offenders could be issued a fixed penalty notice of £120, doubling on each further repeat offence.

Those who do not pay the penalty can be taken to court, with magistrates able to impose unlimited fines. Criminals who deliberately cough at police officers while claiming to have coronavirus could face up to two years in jail, the country’s top prosecutor has warned.

Support for the self-employed was also announced. Self-employed workers can now apply for a grant worth 80 per cent of their average monthly profits to help them cope with the financial impact of coronavirus.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak told the self-employed: “You have not been forgotten.”

The scheme does not cover people who only became self-employed very recently and the total money available is £2,500 per person.

The number of people who have volunteered to help the NHS in its fight against coronavirus has passed half a million, double the government’s recruitment target. Mr Johnson said all 504,303 could now play an “absolutely crucial” role.

The helpers are needed for delivering food and medicines, driving patients to appointments and phoning the isolated.