Coronavirus: parents WILL NOT be separated from infected children

East Midlands Ambulance Service responded to rumours circulating online that said children displaying symptoms who required hospital treatment would be “taken away in a van with people they don’t know”.

The post continued: “You will be without them in their time of need.”

However, the service described the rumours as ‘fake news’ and said they will continue to take a parent with a child to hospital.

They urged people to use “reliable, professional sources for information.”

A tweet from the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust said: “Please be assured, we will continue to take a parent with the child.

“Don't believe the #FakeNews claims.”

As of 9am on 28 March, 17,089 people in the UK had tested positive for coronavirus. As of 5pm on 27 March, 1,019 patients in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus have died.