THE first Southampton patient with Coronavirus has died.

The University Hospital Southampton announced on Monday that a 69-year-old man who tested positive for COVID-19 has died.

However, the hospital said that the man also had a number of underlying heath conditions.

A spokesperson for University Hospital Southampton said:

“Sadly, we can confirm that a man who was being cared for at University Hospital Southampton and had tested positive for COVID-19, has died. The patient was aged 69 and had underlying health conditions.

His family has been informed and our thoughts and condolences are with them at this difficult and distressing time.”

Despite being a global pandemic, the Coronavirus outbreak is impacting businesses and events across Southampton and Hampshire.

The Eastleigh 10k was due to take place on Sunday, March 22, but organisers have no postponed the event.

Posting on social media they report an utmost regard for the health and safety of runners, helpers and marshals together with the residents of Eastleigh who have supported the event in their town for the last 35 years.

Hampshire councils have also been affected.

The British Motor Yacht Show at Swanwick Marina has also been postponed.

It was due to take place on May 14 to 17 but will now take place on June 11 to 14.

Marine general manager, Graham Bristowe, said: “Following discussion with our show partners Fairline, Princess and Sunseeker we believe that moving the show into June is both a prudent and responsible approach to the Coronavirus risk as it is presented at this time.”

The New Forest District Council (NFDC) announced it would be cancelling meetings yesterday in light of the health crisis

Its reason was to support the government’s approach in delaying the spread of Coronavirus.

The authority has cancelled all non-essential member meetings until further notice.

However, the NFDC full council, planning committee and licensing sub-committee meetings have not been cancelled but will be subject to review.

Following advice from the government to avoid social contact, the Eastleigh Borough Council decided to cancel yesterday evening’s Bursledon, Hamble-le-Rice and Hound Local Area Committee

According to the council, the status of forthcoming meetings will be updated in the coming days.

Schools have not closed however, Fareham Academy has made “the difficult decision to partially close the school for some year groups.”

Yesterday the academy was closed for year 9 pupils, while today it is closed for year 8 pupils.

The decision was due to a number of staff absences following the government guidelines on self-isolating.

In a letter headteacher, Chris Prankerd said: “I would like to state that we have no confirmed cases of staff or students that have been diagnosed with COVID-19

“However, as per the government measures put in place last night we do have some staff members following the “stay at home” guidance.”

Fareham College has postponed its official open day for the Civil Engineering Training Centre (CETC). The event was due to take place on March 18, but organisers have chosen to postpone the event and will release a second date soon.

Matt Hancock, the secretary of state for health and social care has said wartime-like measures will require car makers to produce medical equipment and convert hotels into hospitals.

The minister has compared the global pandemic to World War Two, adding that, despite the Blitz, the UK “pulled together in one gigantic national effort”.

Hampshire MPs Paul Holmes and Caroline Nokes have both echoed his calls for a National Effort to produce ventilators.

In the latest update, published by the Department of Health on Monday evening (March 16), a total of 42,105 people have been tested.

To date, 55 people have died in the UK as a result of the virus, and the death toll across the world has reached more than 6,500.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,543 people in the UK were confirmed to have the virus with 55 of these in Hampshire.

However, many thousands more in the UK are estimated to have been infected.

Elsewhere, a travel ban has been proposed by an EU chief for all non-essential travel into the European Union for 30 days.

Yesterday Boris Johnson held a televised press conference following an emergency meeting of the Cobra committee, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock will update MPs in the Commons.

In Scotland schools have closed as the number of cases continues to rise.

Deep cleans were carried out on some buildings as 171 positive tests were reported by 2pm on Monday.

A decision was made over the weekend to close Dunblane High School to all pupils and staff after a pupil tested positive for Covid-19.

Two primary schools in the Highlands will be closed from Monday “until further notice” after a pupil and staff member took ill.

Children who develop a continuous cough or fever at school should be sent home with suspected Coronavirus, new guidance says.

While Wales has confirmed its first death. The patient, who was in their sixties and had underlying health conditions, died at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.