The government is looking at plans to repatriate Britons in Wuhan "as soon as possible" amid the fatal coronavirus outbreak, a cabinet minister has confirmed.
Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, was pressed on the gravitas of the situation this morning and on the return of British nationals who wish to come home.
He said he spoke with the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, last night and vowed the government would do everything which is "needed to be done" in order to protect citizens.
Amid reports of plans to evacuate Brits from the worst affected area of China, where the virus is believed to have originated, he said work was being carried out to establish the exact numbers who are in the region.
"We don't automatically have a list of people who happen to be in the region," he told Sky News, as he appealed for anyone in the region to contact the British consulate.
"We keep having to push the message out... to ask people to get in contact. Not everyone wants to be repatriated, and we're working with international colleagues to do that."
Asked about the timescale for plans, he said: "As soon as possible.
"They've obviously put the region on lock down, which is a further complication."
He added that it was a "complex and moving situation" with circumstances changing each day.
The Standard has contacted the Foreign Office for its latest comment on the situation.
Later in the morning, the Government said details were being finalised for a plan to help Britons leave Hubei.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The FCO is urgently exploring options for British nationals to leave Hubei province. Details are being finalised and the FCO (Foreign Office) will confirm these as soon as they can.”
The death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 106, China’s National Health Commission has confirmed, while more than 4,500 people have been infected.
Those who have flown to the UK from the centre of the outbreak have been told to "self-isolate" - even if they show no symptoms of the virus.
In a significant ramping up of precautions in the UK, health secretary Matt Hancock said officials could not be 100 per cent certain the virus is not spread by people who are not displaying symptoms.
