A British family trapped in the centre of the coronavirus outbreak today said they have been told one of them might not be allowed on a plane evacuating UK citizens.
Sindy Siddle, 42, travelled to Hubei province with her husband, Jeff, and daughter, Jasmine, nine, to spend Chinese New Year with relatives.
The Foreign Office has told her that as she holds a Chinese passport, she might not be allowed to board the plane. She has had a visa for permanent residency in the UK since 2008.
Mr Siddle, 54, an IT software developer from Prudhoe, Northumberland, said: “My head is spinning. It’s just horrendous. This ordeal just turned into our worst nightmare.”
He told BBC Radio Newcastle: “We have heard there is going to be an airlift imminently but they are only allowing British citizens on the plane which means that my wife won’t be allowed to leave.
“My daughter is absolutely in floods of tears because she’s going to be split up from her mum. It is a horrendous decision that we have had to make.”
He said his wife will stay with her family in the village of Hongtu, a three-hour drive from Wuhan, until they are able to make arrangements to get her out of the country.
The FCO said it would make a note on its file that Mrs Siddle is the mother of a British child, but could make no guarantees about her evacuation.
The situation was echoed by others among the 250 Britons believed to be stranded in Hubei province.
Nick House, who lives in China with his Indonesian wife and two British children, said he was also told he could take a repatriation flight but his wife, who does not have a visa, could not.
He told Sky News: “I won’t leave without my wife … the Government are leaving three British people here for the sake of one seat on a plane.”
A No 10 spokesman said the FCO is “urgently exploring options” and will confirm details as soon as they can.
