A man in his 60s, who had underlying health problems, has died at North Manchester General Hospital after testing positive for coronavirus.

He had recently returned from Italy.

It follows the deaths of two elderly patients at hospitals in England on Thursday and Friday. 

READ MORE: Coronavirus in Scotland - 18 test positive 

A Brit who had been on board the quarantined cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, also died in February. 

A spokesman for the hospital said: "We can confirm that sadly a patient being treated for Covid-19 has died at our specialist regional Infectious Diseases unit at North Manchester General Hospital.

"The man in his sixties tested positive after travelling to Italy and had a number of underlying health problems.

"Our thoughts are with the patient's family who are being supported by our specialist bereavement staff."

England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty said: "I am very sorry to report that a third patient in England who tested positive for Covid-19 has sadly died.

"I offer my sincere condolences to their family and friends and ask that their privacy is respected."

He said that contact tracing was already under way.

On Friday, it was confirmed that an 83-year-old great-grandfather had become the second person to die in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus.

The man, who also had underlying health conditions, died on Thursday while being treated at Milton Keynes University Hospital.

His family paid tribute to him as a "truly loving and wonderful person".

On Thursday evening, another patient, reported to be a woman in her 70s, became the first person in the UK to die after being diagnosed with Covid-19, while at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

As of today, 273 people had been diagnosed with coronavirus Covid-19, an increase from 206 cases on Saturday.

It represents the largest day-on-day increase in diagnoses.

It includes two new cases in Scotland, bringing the total to 18.

READ MORE: Pension rules leaving NHS with fewer doctors 

The third UK death comes as the Foreign Office warned against all but essential travel to quarantine zones in Italy as restrictions were ramped up. 

The advice covers the Lombardy region, including the cities of Milan, Bergamo and Como, and the provinces of Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia and Rimini - all in the Emilia Romagna region.

Extraordinary measures were signed off by the Italian Prime Minister overnight as the death toll rose to 366, banning movement by residents in and out of affected areas except in emergencies or for proven work- and health-related causes. 

School, universities, museums, cinemas, shopping centres, ski resorts and theatres will be closed until April 3, with cafes and restaurants allowed to open during the day as long as patrons sit one metre (3ft) apart.

Brits caught up in lockdown zones would be allowed to leave Italy, however, according the the Foreign Office. 

In a statement, it said: "British nationals remain able to depart Italy without restriction.

"Residents of other parts of Italy are permitted to leave the isolation areas to return home.

"Otherwise entry into and exit from these areas is forbidden without official permission on the grounds of strict necessity; the authorities have confirmed to us that this will be granted for reasons such as medical need or work requirements.

"Travellers should check flight details with airlines."