THE Covid-19 pandemic has spread across the globe at a terrifying rate in just a matter of months.

Here are the key dates that mark the progress of the disease.

November 2019 - The first case of coronavirus is identified in the city of Wuhan in the province of Hubei, China.

It is believed the disease may have stemmed from a "wet" market, where living wild animals are sold for meat.

January 21 - Coronavirus starts to appear on the UK news agenda as the number of infections grow in China.

January 25 - The British authorities begin to get nervous about the threat, and health officials team up with Border Force agents to track down 2,000 people who have recently flown to the UK from Hubei province.

January 29 - Britons returning from coronavirus-hit Wuhan in China are told they will be put in quarantine for 14 days.

January 30 - The coronavirus outbreak is declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organisation.

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January 31 - Two members of the same family test positive for coronavirus in England and are treated at the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

More than 80 Britons are evacuated from Wuhan by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and are placed in quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral.

February 2 - The UK Government pays for a nationwide ad campaign urging the public to wash their hands thoroughly and use tissues to help contain the spread of the disease.

Meanwhile, 11 more Britons evacuated from China touch down in the UK and are sent to Arrowe Park.

February 3 - The Government announces £20 million funding for vaccine research.

February 4 - The Diamond Princess cruise ship is quarantined off the coast of Japan with 3,700 people on board including more than 100 British citizens due to a coronavirus outbreak.

Britons in mainland China are told to leave if they can by the Foreign Office.

February 5 - Hospitals are told to create emergency assessment pods for coronavirus.

February 6 - A third person in the UK tests positive for coronavirus after contracting it in Singapore and is treated at Guy's and St Thomas's Hospital in London.

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February 8 - Five Britons test positive for coronavirus in France after coming into contact with the third case to be diagnosed at a ski resort.

February 9 - A final UK Government chartered flight bringing around 150 British nationals back from coronavirus-hit Wuhan touches down and the passengers are quarantined at a facility in Milton Keynes.

February 10 - The Government declares coronavirus a "serious and imminent threat to public health" and gives itself powers to forcibly quarantine people.

The number of cases in the UK reaches eight.

February 11 - Coronavirus is officially named Covid-19.

February 22 - A repatriation flight carrying 32 British and European evacuees from the Diamond Princess touches down - and passengers are taken to Arrowe Park Hospital to be quarantined.

February 27 - The first case of coronavirus is recorded in Northern Ireland.

February 28 - The first case of coronavirus is reported in Wales.

A British man previously quarantined on the Diamond Princess becomes the first UK citizen to die from Covid-19.

February 29 - The first case of coronavirus is confirmed in the Republic of Ireland.

March 2 - Scotland confirms its first case of coronavirus.

March 3 - The Government unveils a national plan to tackle coronavirus, including contingency plans to help police if they lose "significant numbers" to the illness.

It predicts that in a "stretching scenario", it is possible that up to one fifth of employees may be absent from work during peak weeks.

March 5 - UK cases reach 90, as the first patient dies in the UK.

The patient, in her 70s, died in the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. A second person, a man in his 80s, died the following day.

March 7 - 206 cases are now recorded in the UK.

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March 11 - The Covid-19 outbreak is declared a pandemic by the WHO.

March 12 - The EU and UK scrap face-to-face talks on a post-Brexit trade deal due to the risk posed by coronavirus.

Thousands of people are believed to be infected with the virus in Britain.

March 13 - European countries including Austria, Portugal, France, Denmark and Norway begin to ban public gatherings and close schools as the death toll mounts.

The first Coronavirus patient dies in Scotland.

Top-level football competitions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are suspended.

March 14 - A newborn baby tests positive for coronavirus in London.

March 15 - Number 10 announces daily press briefings on the progress of the pandemic.

The Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to more than 30 countries

March 16 - A patient in their 60s becomes the first death in Wales.

Scientists at Imperial College warn the Government that around 250,000 people will die in Britain unless stricter measures are adopted to protect the population.

March 17 - Parliament stops all non-essential public access

Public worship suspended by the Church of England

Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveils a £330bn package to help businesses

The Scottish government announces a £350 million support fund to help those left struggling in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Schools, nurseries and colleges are told they must close their doors from the end of the day on 20 March until further notice.

March 19 - The Queen moves to Windsor Castle early to start Easter court, and is likely to remain there for the duration of the pandemic.

Boris Johnson claims the tide can be turned on coronavirus within 12 weeks.

March 20 - Boris Johnson orders pubs and restaurants across the country to close.

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Rishi Sunak announces a multi-billion pound package of measures to prevent mass layoffs and improve the welfare system.

March 23 - Jury trials in England and Wales are put on hold to curb coronavirus.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tells Britons travelling abroad to return home while they still can.

The UK public is told that from this evening they will only be allowed to leave their homes for limited reasons, including shopping for food, exercise once per day, medical need and travelling for work when absolutely necessary.

All shops selling non-essential goods are told to close, gatherings of more than two people in public are banned, all events including weddings but excluding funerals are cancelled.

March 24 - A new scheme is launched to recruit volunteers to help the NHS - initially the target is 250,000 but more than half a million apply in just two days.

A new field hospital called the Nightingale Hospital with a capacity of 4,000 is being prepared at the EXcel Centre, Health Secretary Matt Hancock reveals.

March 25 - The Prince of Wales tests positive for coronavirus but is displaying only "mild symptoms", Clarence House says.

Sweeping emergency powers to tackle the coronavirus are set to become law after clearing the House of Lords without amendment.

March 26 - An 84-year-old man becomes the first inmate to die in prison of Covid-19.

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The UK becomes the largest single contributor in the search for a coronavirus vaccine, pledging £210 million in aid funding.

A support package for the self-employed is announced - covering an average of 80% of earnings over the last three years.

March 27 - Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock test positive for Covid-19, while chief medical officer Chris Whitty says he has symptoms of the disease and is self-isolating.

March 28 - UK deaths from coronavirus reach 1,019 - an increase of 260 in 24 hours.

The number of infections reaches an estimated 600,000 world-wide.

March 29 - It is revealed Amged El-Hawrani, a 55-year-old consultant, has become the first frontline NHS hospital worker to die after testing positive for coronavirus. He died in hospital on March 28.

Dr Jenny Harries, deputy chief medical officer for England, says that normal life in the UK will not resume for at least six months, with social distancing measures to be gradually lifted.

March 31 - A total of 1,651 patients are reported to have died after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK.