Thursday, January 30, 2020

Britons flying from Wuhan will be kept in quarantine at Wirral NHS facility

Coronavirus - wirral
Britons returning from Wuhan will be kept in accommodation at Arrowe Park Hospital (Pictures: Getty/PA)

Britons on an evacuation flight from the coronavirus-stricken city of Wuhan are to be quarantined in an NHS facility on the Wirral, Merseyside.

Passengers will be taken to a former student accommodation block in the grounds of Arrowe Park Hospital, where they will be kept for 14 days.

The government booked the private charter plane to carry around 150 UK citizens located in the city – which is the epicentre of the outbreak – and nearby areas.

It took off at 7am local time on Friday (11pm on Thursday UK time) and will land at RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire.

The accommodation at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside which is understood to be where the British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, will be quarantined after they arrive back into the UK on Friday. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday January 30, 2020. See PA story HEALTH Coronavirus. Photo credit should read: Peter Byrne/PA Wire
The accommodation at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside is believed to be where British nationals will be monitored for  two weeks (Picture: Peter Byrne/PA)
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - JANUARY 24: Tourists wear face masks as they visit Edinburgh Castle on January 24, 2020 in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has been confirmed that 14 people in Scotland with symptoms have tested negative for the coronavirus, which has killed at least 26 people in China. A daily incident management team has been created by the Scottish government to monitor the developing situation. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Tourists wear face masks as they visit Edinburgh Castle as Scotland predicts it may confirm its first case of the virus (Picture: Getty)
epa08179916 Medical staff of S. Martino hospital infectious disease department, with protective equipment on the isolation room, Genoa, Italy, 30 January 2020. The coronavirus, called 2019-nCoV, originating from Wuhan, China, has spread to all the 31 provinces of China as well as more than a dozen countries in the world. The outbreak of coronavirus has so far claimed at least 170 lives and infected more than 8,000 others, according to media reports. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO
Medical staff in Genoa, Italy, which has confirmed its first coronavirus case (Picture: EPA/LUCA ZENNARO)

However, health experts said it is unlikely that any of those quarantined will be carrying the virus.

Janelle Holmes, chief executive of Wirral University Hospital, sent a message to staff on Thursday evening outlining the plan.

She wrote: ‘Before arrival they will be screened for symptoms. If anyone becomes unwell after arrival they will be treated following appropriate protocols.’

It is understood they will have access to the internet and be able to contact their families.

Some 50 foreign passengers, mainly from EU countries, will remain on the plane and will be flown to Spain afterwards.

Virgin Atlantic has joined British Airways in suspending trips to China amid the crisis, in a bid to prevent the virus spreading further.

Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside which is understood to be where the British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, will be quarantined after they arrive back into the UK on Friday. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday January 30, 2020. See PA story HEALTH Coronavirus. Photo credit should read: Peter Byrne/PA Wire
Experts have deemed it unlikely that any of the passengers will be carrying the virus (Picture: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
epa08179920 Medical staff of S. Martino hospital infectious disease department, with protective equipment on the isolation room, Genoa, Italy, 30 January 2020. The coronavirus, called 2019-nCoV, originating from Wuhan, China, has spread to all the 31 provinces of China as well as more than a dozen countries in the world. The outbreak of coronavirus has so far claimed at least 170 lives and infected more than 8,000 others, according to media reports. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO
The virus has claimed at least 170 lives and infected more than 8,000 people (Picture: EPA/LUCA ZENNARO)
Passengers arrive at Heathrow Airport in London after the last British Airways flight from China touched down in the UK following an announcement that the airline was suspending all flights to and from mainland China with immediate effect amid the escalating coronavirus crisis. PA Photo. Picture date: Wednesday January 29, 2020. See PA story HEALTH Coronavirus. Photo credit should read: Steve Parsons/PA Wire
Passengers arrive at Heathrow Airport in London after the last British Airways flight from China touched down in the UK (Picture: PA)

Virgin flights to Shanghai will be suspended for two weeks from Sunday, while BA has suspended all flights to and from the mainland until Monday.

The Foreign Office has urged British citizens not to travel to mainland China unless absolutely necessary.

A flight out of Wuhan for British nationals was previously planned for Thursday but was denied clearance by Chinese authorities.

It’s understood the British Consulate gave citizens letters to help get past security checkpoints on the way to the airport.

Passengers say they have been told only to take hand luggage on the plane.

Families have been separated after the Chinese government refused to grant exemptions to travel restrictions for Chinese passport-holders with British relatives.

The British government hopes to fly out more UK citizens in the city and the surrounding Hubei province.

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