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Coronavirus: Second group of British evacuees from Wuhan begin quarantine after landing in UK

British nationals and family members join 83 already in isolation in the Wirral

Peter Stubley
Monday 03 February 2020 00:44 GMT
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Coronavirus: Plane carrying Britons evacuated from Wuhan lands in UK

The second group of evacuees from the city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak in China have entered quarantine after being flown back to the UK.

Eleven people, including British nationals and family members, arrived at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire shortly before 8pm on Sunday.

They were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral, where 83 UK citizens have already begun their 14-day isolation period.

The Foreign Office said it was continuing to work with EU countries to add remaining Britons to any rescue flights from Wuhan.

A spokesman said: “The government is in touch with British nationals who remain in Wuhan, and are doing everything we can to bring them home as safely and quickly as possible.”

The latest repatriation flight came as a man in the Philippines became the first person to die from the virus outside China, where the death toll has risen above to 361.

Chinese authorities reported 2,829 new cases over the last 24 hours, bringing the total infections in the country to 17,205.

The UK's Department of Health said it had "no current plans" to stop people entering the UK after New Zealand announced it was imposing a 14-day ban on foreigners travelling from China.

A spokeswoman said: "We have no current plans to restrict entry into the UK, but we will keep this constantly under review and follow WHO [World Health Organisation] guidance."

A University of York student and their relative remain the only two confirmed cases in the UK and the pair are being treated at a specialist unit in Newcastle.

The university said the risk there remains low because the student had not been on campus or in student accommodation either before or after being exposed to the virus.

Vice-chancellor professor Charlie Jeffery said the student did not attend a university Chinese New Year celebration or recent graduation ceremonies and contacted emergency services promptly.

Officials are trying to trace people who had close contact with the pair, who had checked in to the Staycity apartment-hotel in York.

The risk level from coronavirus in the UK remains at moderate, having been raised from low last week on the same day the WHO declared an international public health emergency.

A total of 266 coronavirus tests had been carried out by Sunday, with only the two confirmed cases coming back positive.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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