CORONAVIRUS: BRITS STRANDED IN WUHAN AS DEATH TOLL INCREASES TO 170

As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in China hits 7,711, with all regions and territories now affected, around 200 British nationals still remain stranded in Wuhan.

Chinese officials have yet to give them permission to leave, the Foreign Office had expected to have started flying back Britons still stuck in Wuhan in the province of Hubei today, however, the plane arranged to bring them home has not been able to take off.

The US and Japan have been able to evacuate hundreds of their own citizens, at the same time, American Airlines has just announced they will not operate flights to and from China until further notice.

In a statement, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK. A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned.”

“We continue working urgently to organise a flight to the UK as soon as possible. We remain in close contact with the Chinese authorities and conversations are ongoing at all levels.”

Once back in the Uk, the passengers will have to agree to an isolation period of 14 days and receive whatever treatment is recommended by experts.

There is no vaccine for the coronavirus, which has surpassed China’s SARS outbreak of 2002 and 2003, scientists all around the world are urgently working together to find a cure.

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