Coronavirus UK latest: Dominic Raab urges all British nationals to leave China

Jacob Jarvis4 February 2020

Brits in China have been urged to leave the country if they can amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab urged all British nationals in the nation to leave in a statement today.

He said: “The safety and security of British people will always be our top priority.

“As such, we now advise British Nationals in China to leave the country if they can, to minimise their risk of exposure to the virus. Where there are still British Nationals in Hubei Province who wish to be evacuated, we will continue to work around the clock to facilitate this."

Coronavirus - In pictures

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The Hubei province is home to the city of Wuhan, where the outbreak is thought to have originated.

A total of 94 UK nationals and family members have been evacuated to Britain from Wuhan.

They were on two flights which arrived on Friday and Sunday. Other arrangements are set to be put in to place to evacuate further Brits in the area.

Coronavirus: Wuhan-RAF Brize Norton Flight - In pictures

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The arrivals have been quarantined in a hospital on the Wirral.

Mr Raab earlier said the British Government has been “allocated 14 places on an Air New Zealand fight today for UK nationals and their dependants”.

Dominic Raab released a statement to Brits today
Getty Images

It comes as the death toll in China from the outbreak reached 425, while there have been 425 deaths there.

At least 180 cases have been confirmed out of the mainland, with two deaths reported - one in Hong Kong and another in the Philippines.

Two cases have been diagnosed in the UK, while British officials are still trying to trace 239 people who flew from the Chinese city of Wuhan to the UK before travel restrictions began.

Efforts to track down and assess the travellers, who left Wuhan after the virus emerged, began last week as the crisis intensified.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have suspended UK-China flights.

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