Coronavirus update UK: 2,659 new coronavirus infections confirmed on Wednesday

There were 2,659 new confirmed coronavirus infections in the UK as of Wednesday morning, the UK government data showed. This reading followed Tuesday's increase of 2,460.

Commenting on the data, the UK's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said that the UK is following an extremely similar pattern to France. "If you act rapidly, there is a good chance of bringing the rate back under control," Whitty added. 

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reiterated that everyone should limit social contact as much as possible to beat the virus.

The PM further announced that they will be introducing marshals to help reinforce social distancing rules in city centres. "This is not a national lockdown, these will help us avoid a second lockdown," he added. 

Market reaction

The British pound preserves its strength against its rivals in the American session. As of writing, the GBP/USD pair was up 0.13% on a daily basis at 1.3005.