A British expat trapped in the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak with his eight-month pregnant wife and toddler son today issued an urgent plea for rescue.
Tom Williams, deputy head of the Wuhan Yangtze International School, said it was “almost impossible” to follow official advice to leave the locked-down city without diplomatic assistance on the ground.
His wife Lauren is due to give birth next month and he begged for help from either the UK or Canada, where she is a citizen, in an open letter posted on Twitter.
Mr Williams, who is from Cheltenham and has been based in the province for five years, wrote: “My wife is 35 weeks pregnant. We are quarantined in the city.
“Roads have been closed which is making getting to maternity hospital uncertain.”
He said the couple and their two-year-old son James were safe and have stocked up on food but called for assistance in evacuating before his wife gives birth.
Officials estimate there are up to 200 UK citizens in Wuhan, which has been on lockdown as China seeks to contain the illness.
