Coronavirus scare: Man collapses while violently coughing at a shopping centre in London

Disturbing footage has emerged of a man collapsing onto the floor after a coughing fit in a London shopping centre - sparking fresh fears of coronavirus.

The video shows the man taking off his jacket and throwing it to the floor as he attempts to cover his mouth in the atrium area of Jubilee Place in Canary Wharf.

The worrying clip was filmed a day before a Chevron worker in the same area of east London reported flu-like symptoms, resulting in all employees being sent home as a precaution.  

The man falls to his knees and then onto his side outside Starbucks, gesturing for water before continuing to cough violently on the floor, but eventually struggles back onto his feet.

A security guard is seen going to help him while shoppers and office workers watch on in shock at the unfolding scene.

A witness told the Daily Star: "I was sitting at Caffe Nero and all of a sudden a man started coughing really loud.

"He sounded really sick and you can hear from all those chesty coughs, people walking past him literally ran away."

The scary incident happened at around 6.20pm on Monday, a day before US oil giant Chevron announced it had sent 300 workers home for precautions of coronavirus.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 5.55pm on Monday (24 February) to reports of a person unwell near the South Colonnade at Canary Wharf shopping centre.

“We dispatched an ambulance crew, however we were then informed that the ambulance was no longer required.”

A Canary Wharf spokesperson said: "We do not have any evidence to suggest this is related to Coronavirus. There has not yet been any confirmed Coronavirus case on the Canary Wharf estate.

"Nonetheless we are carefully monitoring the situation and taking precautionary steps where possible, for example, we have positioned additional hand sanitisers across our public spaces and retail malls."

It came after a worker was reportedly suffering flu-like symptoms and is awaiting test results.

The staff at the Westferry Circus office in Canary Wharf will continue to work from home "for the time being", pending tests on the employee.

Chevron said: "Chevron continues to monitor the situation very closely, utilising the guidance of international and local health authorities.

"Our primary concern is the health and safety of our employees and we are taking precautionary measures to reduce their risk of exposure.

"Consequently, we have requested that our colleagues, based at our Westferry Circus office in London, work from home for the time being. It is our policy to not provide details of our employees."

More than 80,000 people have been tested positive for Covid-19, the Wuhan strain for coronavirus that started in China.

Italy has become a frontline in the global outbreak of the virus, with 280 cases and 10 deaths.

Greece and Brazil have confirmed their first case of coronavirus as of today.