We are about to close this live blog on the coronavirus. You can follow our coverage on our new blog which you can find here. In the mean time, here is a summary of what we know so far.
- The death toll stands at 213 inside China and confirmed infections are 9,096
- Possible infections are at 12,167 inside China with recoveries listed as 163
- The World Health organisation has declared a global public health emergency because of the spread of the virus outside China, describing it as an “unprecedented outbreak”.
- Cases outside China of the virus are increasing and is estimated to be over 100.
- Recent global updates include Italy (2), France (6), Germany (5), Australia (9). I will bring you a full country-by-country list shortly
- The US has confirmed its first person-to-person transmission
- Evacuations of foreign nationals are continuing, with 150 Britons expected to be flown out of Wuhan on Friday local time.
The UK evacuation of its citizens out of Wuhan is underway. They are understood to be on Wamos Air 747.
According to Flightradar24, a Wamos air 747 flew from Hanoi to Wuhan on 31 January, landing in Wuhan at 04.45 local time. We know from the video we posted a short time ago that UK citizens were preparing to board a Wamos air plane.
I haven’t yet got any information as to whether that plane has left Wuhan as there is sometimes a lag in this being uploaded. We know that passengers were ready to board
On Thursday, China’s Football Association cancelled all domestic games at all levels, in a response to the coronavirus. China’s national women’s team are in Australia to play Olympic qualifiers, but have been in quarantine in Brisbane as a result of the virus. Football Federation Australia on Friday confirmed the team will begin their qualifying tournament against Taiwan in Sydney on 6 February and will play the Australian team on 12 February. You can read the full story here.
Poorer nations suffer most from global health crises, says Dr Claude Posala, an eye surgeon in Solomon Islands. His country has recently suffered a terrible measles outbreak. He says Pacific nations have watched news out of Wuhan in panic and need help to combat it.
The Reuters news agency is reporting that China’s Shandong province has asked companies not to resume working before 10 February to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. Reuters is quoting the state news agency Xinhua.
China death toll increases 25% from yesterday
Let’s take a look at the latest figures. Each morning in China the National Health Commission provides updates.
The total death toll in China now stands at 213. That’s up from 170 announced at this time yesterday. That’s an increase of 25%, which is slightly down on yesterday’s increase (29%).
Confirmed cases inside China are 9,096. That’s up from the figure quoted at around this time yesterday of 7,711. It makes it an 18% rise in confirmed infections over the 24-hour period.
Between Wednesday and Thursday the rise in confirmed cases was 29% by my calculations.
Updated
Virgin Atlantic suspends flights between Britain and China
Press Association is reporting that Virgin Atlantic has suspended its flights between Britain and China due to fears about the spread of the coronavirus.
The airline said in a statement it would suspend its daily operations between the UK and Shanghai for two weeks from Saturday, PA said.
The decision came after the World Health Organisation on Thursday declared the coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency.
It also follows British Airways’ decision to suspend flights to and from China, which is in place until at least Monday.
On Thursday Air Canada suspended all flights to and from China until the end of February. It followed Canada’ recommendation to avoid all non-essential travel to China.
We are now hearing from the premier of the state of Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk, who is calling for national co-ordination of the response to the virus. Australia is a federal system made up of states and territories and so far each state seems to have had a slightly different response to the virus.
“There is no reason why the Federal government can’t be on a phone hook-up today or over this weekend, talking to all of the (state) Premiers giving them the most up to date information. This is a serious national issue,” Palaszczuk said.
An obviously irritated Palaszczuk again makes the point that the national government should be co-ordinating the response.
“I’m calling on the Commonwealth (national government) to working a spirit of national co-operation, to provide information to the states so we can help try to contain this virus,” she says.
“We would have had a number of planes that have come in from mainland China over the last 1 days. Where are all those people?,” Palaszczuk asks.
Coronavirus has been declared notifiable disease in Queensland, Australia
We’re just hearing a news conference in Queensland that as of Thursday, coronavirus has been declared notifiable disease.
“That means on clinical suspicion, any doctor or hospital that sees a patient that they think might have this novel coronavirus is obliged to let me know. They let my staff know,” says Queensland’s chief medical officer, Dr Jeanette Young.
As I wrote in the blog a short time ago, Queensland authorities have been trying to track down passengers on a plane that flew from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on 27 January, as there was a tourist from Wuhan onboard who was later diagnoses with coronavirus. He was travelling with a party of eight other people.
“We are contact tracing of course the people immediately adjacent to these people on the plane, on that Tiger flight and then we’re giving information to everyone else who was on the plane and the Tiger people have been extremely supportive and cooperative, so that we could do that, plus we need to go through in detail everyone who’s been at the hotel these people were staying at,” Young said.
Updated
Hello, I’m Alison Rourke picking up this live blog on the coronavirus outbreak. Thanks to Molly for her summary in the previous post and just a reminder that you can read our most recent story on the virus here and our guide to how you can help protect yourself and stop the spread of the virus here.
As always, you can reach me at alison.rourke@theguardian.com or on Twitter at @alisonrourke.
Summary
I’d like to say a big thanks to everyone who sent in information, it’s been extremely helpful.
Here’s a summary of some key updates before I hand over to the Australia team, who’ll continue the coverage from Sydney:
- The virus has spread to at least 9,320 people around the world, surpassing that of the SARS epidemic over a year long period (2002-2003).
- 212 people have died, all in China.
- There are 98 confirmed cases of infection outside mainland China in at least 18 countries.
- The United States reported its first case of person-to-person transmission, joining Germany, Vietnam and Japan in recording similar incidents.
- BA has suspended all flights to and from mainstream China until the end of February. Other countries have also implemented a flight ban, most recently Italy.
- Almost 200 US citizens have been evacuated and have arrived at a military base in California. They will be isolated for a minimum of 72 hours. The US is said to be planning another airlift in the coming days.
- France have evacuated 200 citizens who are currently flying back to southern France where there’ll be quarantined for 14 days. The European Commission has said it is planning a flight to evacuate more European nationals.
- The Chinese Football Association has postponed its domestic games in 2020, and the World Athletics Indoors Championships, due to take place in the Chinese city of Nanjing in March, have been moved to 2021.
- Google and IKEA became the latest franchises to shut their Chinese shops and offices.
Updated
In Australia, confirmed cases of the virus have climbed to 9, but two people have been released and are “post-viral” according to the country’s health minister, Greg Hunt.
Authorities have been tracking down passengers that were on a plane with a Chinese tourist who flew from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on 27 January.
The 44-year-old man, from Wuhan, was diagnosed with coronavirus and was being treated in isolation in hospital on the Gold Coast.
The Guardian understands that at least one passenger who was on that plane to the Gold Coast has been asked to stay home from work. The passenger is not believed to be at high risk but as a precaution has been asked to remain at home for the time being.
Updated
Matt Raw, who as we reported earlier has been allowed to board the flight with his Chinese wife after a U-turn by authorities, has sent this video from inside Wuhan airport to the Guardian
Updated
France have evacuated 200 citizens from Wuhan, according to AFP journalists on board the flight.
Citizens are on their way to southern France in a military aircraft. On arrival, the passengers will be placed into quarantine for 14 days.
The US and Japan have already airlifted their citizens, with a second US flight planned in coming days.
The European Commission has said it is planning a flight to evacuate more European nationals.
China has responded to the WHO announcement in a statement from the National Health Commission saying:
“We are confident and capable of effectively controlling and ultimately defeating the epidemic”.
Updated
Here’s what appears to be the first picture of the evacuation plane set to bring Britons back from Wuhan, sent to the Guardian by Matt Raw, who is due to board it.
Updated
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have confirmed that following a last-minute decision from China, dependents of British nationals and dual nationals will be allowed on to the evacuation flight.
Previously, restrictions imposed by China meant those with Chinese passports were not permitted to leave the country, and China does not recognise dual nationality.
The U-turn meant that Matt Raw and his 75-year-old mother Hazel were given permission to fly along with Raw’s wife Ying, who holds a Chinese passport.
It’s uncertain whether other families in similar situations have been given the go-ahead to board the plane, or whether they have been able to make it to the airport in time.
Updated
Here are the latest figures:
- The virus has spread to at least 9,320 people around the world, surpassing that of the Sars epidemic over a year long period (2002-2003).
- 212 people have died, all in China.
- There are 98 confirmed cases of infection outside mainland China in at least 18 countries.
Sorry for any confusion here - this post has been amended to show that the number of cases has topped Sars, not the death toll.
Updated
If you’d like to read more on the plight of Britons and their families in Wuhan, here’s a longer read, following three families trapped in the city.
Updated
The death toll in Hubei, the Chinese province in which Wuhan is located, has risen to 204, the province’s health commission has said.
Hubei’s announcement takes the total death toll for China to at least 212.
Updated
Giuseppe Conte has provided more information on Italy’s first two cases of coronavirus.
Two Chinese tourists who were visiting Italy had contracted the virus, the Italian prime minister said. He said that authorities were conducting checks on the journey of the two people, in order to prevent them spreading the virus further.
Their condition is good.
Announcing the suspension of air traffic to and from China, Conte said: “As far as we know we are the first country in the EU to adopt such a measure.”
Updated
It seems that at least one Chinese-national spouse of a British citizen is being allowed on the imminent evacuation flight from Wuhan.
Matt Raw, who lives in Wuhan with his wife, Ying – a Chinese national with a Chinese passport – has been told that she will be allowed to board the flight, the Guardian’s Jessica Murray reports.
The family are at the airport waiting to fly back to the UK.
“We have actually finally been given permission to fly,” Raw said in a video message. “We are at the airport now and we’re just getting ready to go through security.”
“We’ve obviously been able to get my mother and my wife has been told she can fly, she has a ticket, so fingers crossed we get through security and we return to England hopefully later on today.”
You can read more about Matt and Ying’s experience in Wuhan here.
Updated
Thanks very much to all those sharing information. There’s a lot to keep track of, so if you spot anything I’ve missed, do drop me a line on Twitter: @mollyblackall
Updated
For more information about previous public health emergencies, check out Nicola Davis’ piece here:
A British man has chosen not to board the evacuation flight from Wuhan because the Foreign Office could not confirm whether his four-year-old daughter, a Chinese national, would be allowed to join him.
Chris Hill, 38, said he was “losing faith” in the government.
Hill, from Sunderland, told PA he could not consider leaving his family and said his wife of 11 years could not travel as she was needed to work in a hospital in Wuhan.
Dominic Raab, the UK’s foreign secretary, said officials had “been working tirelessly” to get citizens out of Wuhan, but China does not recognise dual-nationality and is thought to be preventing its citizens from leaving the area.
The flight is due to leave Wuhan city at 7am local time (11pm GMT).
Updated
Germany has announced a fifth confirmed case.
The individual is an employee at the same firm as the other four infected individuals, in the southern state of Bavaria.
Updated
Scott Morrison, Australia’s prime minister, has announced that he is making 1m surgical masks available to GPs.
In a press conference addressing the measures taken to tackle the spread of the virus, Morrison also announced that he has raised the travel advice for Wuhan and the Hubei to a level four, meaning that Australians are being told not to travel there.
“The national security committee will meet today again to go over all of our arrangements, preparations, the cooperation, the preplanning and the precautions we are putting in place,” he said.
“We’re well prepared and will continue to follow the expert advice.”
Updated
A second case of the virus has been confirmed in Queensland, bringing Australia’s total number of cases to nine.
A Chinese man with coronavirus boarded a flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on 27 January, and Australian authorities have confirmed that a second passenger on the flight has tested positive for the virus.
Authorities are now attempting to track down the other passengers on the flight - 170 people, excluding the two confirmed cases.
Italy confirms first coronavirus cases
Giuseppe Conte, the prime minister of Italy, has said the country has its first two cases of the virus, according to Reuters.
Italy is the fourth European country, after France, Finland and Germany, to have confirmed cases. Conte suspended air travel between Italy and China after the announcement.
Updated
What does the WHO’s international public health emergency mean?
Escalating the virus to an international public health emergency signals that countries around the world should step up their response, and enables the organisation to offer greater support to countries with weaker health systems.
It also gives the WHO the power to scrutinise the steps taken by other countries in response to the virus so far.
According to Dr Bharat Pankhania, Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School:
“As a result of this formal declaration, member states are obliged to work together in managing the outbreak, release resources and share diagnostics as well as logistics expertise, thus it now formalises what would have been going on in the background amongst member states.
Under the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR), member states have a legal duty to respond promptly to a PHEIC.”
This is the sixth emergency announced since 2009. Here’s a recap of the others:
- 2009 The swine flu pandemic, which killed approximately 284,500 people, though some estimations reach 579,000.
- 2013-2016 The Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which led to the death of 11,300 people.
- 2014 The polio outbreak, in which 417 people have died.
- 2016 The Zika, which spread to 60 countries and caused 2,300 cases of babies born with microcephaly, which causes the head to be smaller than expected and can lead to developmental problems.
- 2019 The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo which, by mid-January this year, had caused 2,236 deaths.
Updated
The four chief medical officers of the UK have increased the risk level of coronavirus from low to moderate.
They said that they “do not think the risk to individuals in the UK has changed” but that the government should “plan for all eventualities”.
They added that they were confident in the ability of the UK’s health authorities to manage any risk to the population.
The officers are Prof Chris Whitty for England, Dr Frank Atherton for Wales, Dr Catherine Calderwood for Scotland and Dr Michael McBride for Northern Ireland.
Updated
The WHO has criticised trade and travel restrictions, as it announced a public health emergency over the virus.
Prof Didier Houssin, chair of the emergency committee, questioned the science behind the decision made by some countries to put the restrictions in place.
He said these restrictions were not an “example to follow but a decision to reconsider”.
Houssin said that measures such as unnecessarily placing people in quarantine and refusing visas could now be scrutinised by the international health body.
Updated
WHO declares international public health emergency
The WHO has declared a global public health emergency because of the spread of the virus outside of China, describing it as an “unprecedented outbreak”.
There are now 7,834 confirmed cases around the world. The total number of cases outside of China has reached 98 across 18 countries, Tedros Adhanom, director general of the WHO, has just told a press conference.
The number of deaths remains at 170, all in China.
Eight cases outside China have spread via human to human contact, in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the US. There are currently no deaths outside of China.
Praise for China, but concern for weaker health systems
The organisation congratulated China, saying the declaration was not a vote of no confidence in the country, on the contrary, “the WHO continues to have confidence in China’s capacity to control the outbreak”.
The organisation praised the “extraordinary measures taken” despite the social and economic impact on the Chinese people. Tedros said there would have been more cases and deaths if not for China’s work.
The WHO director-general added: “The main reason for this decision is not because of what is happening in China but because of what is happening in other countries.”
Tedros expressed concern for countries with weaker health systems, saying that we “must all act together now to limit further spread”.
“Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it,” he said.
Tedros reiterated that the WHO were willing to support those countries in any possible way.
Updated
Sixth case confirmed in France
A new case has been reported in France, taking their total up to six.
The latest victim is a doctor, the Guardian’s Paris correspondent Kim Willsher has said.
French citizens repatriated from Wuhan are being held in isolation near Marseille.
Air France has followed British Airways’ lead and is suspending flights into and out of China until 9 February. There will be special flights into and out of Shanghai and Beijing staffed with volunteer crew from tomorrow to bring back passengers and staff in China.
Updated
The Guardian’s Josh Halliday has just confirmed the 150 Britons being flown out of Wuhan tonight will be quarantined at Arrowe Park hospital accommodation in Wirral, Merseyside.
They will be staying in the accommodation block usually designated to NHS staff and are expected to remain there for 14 days.
Margaret Greenwood, the Labour MP for Wirral West, said she had been told by health secretary Matt Hancock that experts believed it was unlikely that those quarantined had the virus.
Updated
Summary
Here are the latest figures on the virus:
Globally, there are 7,818 confirmed cases.
Of these, 7,736 are in China. In the country, 1,370 cases have been classed as severe, and there are a further 12,167 suspected cases. The number of official deaths, 170, hasn’t changed since last night.
Outside of China, there are 82 confirmed cases spanning 18 countries.
Updated
The WHO have pushed back the announcement on their decision over whether the virus constitutes a public health emergency, we’re now expecting it around 7.30pm. No reason has been given yet for the delay.
Here’s a reminder of the WHO’s definition of a public health emergency:
“An extraordinary event which constitutes a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease, and potentially requires a coordinated international response.”
This comes when the situation is:
- serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected
- carries implications for public health beyond the affected State’s national border
- may require immediate international action
Updated
This is Molly, I’ll be taking over the live blog.
The World Health Organization (WHO) are set to announce their decision imminently over whether or not to declare a global health emergency. I’ll keep you updated with all the developments as and when they break.
Updated
Summary
Here are the latest and most important developments around the world so far today.
- Health officials in Chicago have reported the US’s first person-to-person transmission of coronavirus, after the spouse of a woman who became ill after visiting Wuhan tested positive for the virus.
- The head of health services in a city near the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak has been sacked after she could not answer questions on state television about how many people were being treated. “Don’t ask me how many people are being treated,” Tang Zhihong told a reporter.
- Hundreds of Britons stranded in the city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak will be flown home early on Friday morning. A plane was due to leave locked-down Wuhan on Friday morning local time.
- The British Wuhan evacuees are expected to be quarantined for two weeks in former NHS accommodation in north-west England. As a precaution all those who come into contact with them will wear protective clothing.
- The number of people tested for the virus in the UK has now reached 161, with all coming back negative. The figure came in the latest daily 2pm update from the Department of Health and Social Care.
- The World Health Organization is meeting once again on whether to declare coronavirus a global emergency. New cases have been reported in Tibet, India and the Philippines.
- China has reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus deaths. The death toll rose to 170 on Thursday – up from 132 the previous day, a rise of 29%. The number of confirmed cases in China now stands at 7,711, up from 5,974 a day earlier.
- Almost two-thirds of airport screening tests fail to detect people with coronavirus, according to new research. A team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that the current techniques are ineffective because of the incubation period and the poor sensitivity of thermal scanners.
US reports first human-to-human transmission
Health officials in the US have reported their country’s first case of person-to-person transmission of the Chinese coronavirus, the Associated Press is reporting.
The patient is the spouse of a Chicago woman diagnosed with the virus after returning from Wuhan, and is the sixth reported in the US. The other five were all travellers who developed the illness after coming into the US from China.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra has cancelled its coming tour of Asia amid concerns about the deadly virus in China, the Associated Press reports.
Andris Nelsons, the orchestra’s music director, said on Thursday that the decision was made out of concern for the health and well-being of its musicians.
The orchestra had been scheduled to go on a four-city tour that included Seoul in South Korea, Taipei in Taiwan and Shanghai and Hong Kong in China from 6 to 16 February.
“Please know that we are all passionately committed to a future visit to East Asia soon,” Nelsons said in a statement. “Most importantly, our hearts and prayers are with everyone who has been affected by the coronavirus.”
The International Monetary Fund is monitoring developments on the coronavirus outbreak in “real time,” a spokesman said Thursday, adding that the economic hit depends on the duration of the epidemic, AFP reports.
“We at the IMF are monitoring this very closely, we’re looking at the economic indicators on a real-time basis,” said IMF spokesman Gerry Rice.
“If global supply chains were systematically affected or global financial markets were significantly impacted by increasing uncertainty, then obviously the impact would be greater,” Rice said, adding that the effects would be more severe if the ailment spreads to other parts of Asia from China.
“We’re not at this point in a position to put any hard numbers around this,” Rice said. “That’s something that we would do in due course, but it’s just too early to do that.”
Russia’s first McDonald’s restaurant has scrapped a plan to sell Big Mac burgers for virtually nothing to mark its 30th anniversary over fears it would attract huge crowds, which authorities have advised against due to coronavirus fears, Reuters reports.
The restaurant on Moscow’ central Pushkin Square, was due on Friday to sell the Big Mac for just three roubles ($0.0474) instead of its usual price of 135 roubles, and expected to draw tens of thousands of people. But on Thursday it ditched the plan after Moscow authorities issued a city-wide warning against mass public events.
“Yesterday the Moscow government announced precautionary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus,” McDonald’s said in a statement.
“(It) recommended refraining from holding public events in the near future in places where citizens gather en masse in order to minimise risks of infection.”
There have been no confirmed cases of the virus in Russia.
Updated
Singapore has confirmed three new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infected patients in the city state to 13. All patients so far are Chinese nationals from Wuhan, Singapore’s health ministry is reported as saying by the Straits Times.
The latest patients are all in stable condition and warded in isolation rooms at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, the paper said.
Twitter is rerouting #coronavirus searches in the UK to automatically direct users to the Department of Health and Social Care’s Twitter profile page and the gov.uk website, in a move touted as an attempt to tackle disinformation about the outbreak.
A DHSC spokesman said the UK is the first country in the EU to have such an arrangement with Twitter “directing users to credible, authoritative information to help tackle misinformation and ensure the public is well informed.”
Announcing the arrangement, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said:
Public safety is our top priority and as this is a rapidly evolving situation, it’s absolutely crucial everyone is able to access reliable, accurate information on Coronavirus.
I welcome that Twitter is taking action to direct users to official Government health advice, helping to tackle misinformation and ensure the public is well informed. This action is hugely important, and I want to see more social media companies follow their lead.
I want to stress there are no confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the UK and we have world-leading clinicians and expert teams working to protect UK patients and staff to the highest standards possible.
According to Chinese officials, 170 people have so far died from coronavirus infections. Not included in those statistics will be 17-year-old Yan Cheng, although his death is most certainly a result of the outbreak.
According to a report by freelance journalist Michael Standaert for the Guardian, Yan, who suffered from cerebral palsy, died alone at his home in a rural village in China’s Hubei province, six days after his father and brother were taken into quarantine at a facility 15 miles away.
Unable to get out to care for his son, Yan’s father posted messages asking for help on the social media platform Weibo. Village officials reportedly visited Yan but fed him only twice over the six-day period.
He was found dead in his bed on Wednesday.
The Philippines announced its first confirmed case of coronavirus on Wednesday morning, after one of 29 people being monitored by the country’s department of health tested positive.
The patient is a 38-year-old Chines woman who traveled to the Philippines from Wuhan, China, via Hong Kong on January 21, health secretary Francisco Duque told a news conference, according to a report in the Rappler, an English language Filipino news website.
Health chief in city close to Wuhan sacked
The head of health services in a city near the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak has been sacked after she could not answer questions on state television about how many people were being treated.
Tang Zhihong, who ran the health department in Huanggang city, which has reported almost 500 confirmed cases and 12 deaths, appeared on state television earlier on Thursday, Reuters reported.
On being questioned by a central government inspection team and a reporter on issues like how many people a certain hospital under her remit could handle, she could not immediately answer.
“I don’t know, I’m unclear,” she said, when being asked how many sick people there were. “I only know how many beds there are. Don’t ask me how many people are being treated.”
Hours later the city’s health department said Tang had been removed. It gave no other details. It was not possible to reach her for comment, Reuters said.
The government has said it will investigate and punish officials involved in fighting the virus who slack off on their jobs.
The number of cases in Huanggang is second only to that of nearby Wuhan, where the virus was first reported in December. Huanggang has also been largely shut off from the outside world by the government as it seeks to control the virus’ spread.
Hello world.
This is Damien Gayle taking on the live blog from my colleague Matthew Weaver. As usual, please get in touch with any developments, tips or stories that you think we ought to be be covering. You can reach me at damien.gayle@theguardian.com or via my Twitter profile @damiengayle.
Summary
Here are the main developments so far:
- Hundreds of Britons stranded in the city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak will be flown home early on Friday morning. A plane was due to leave locked-down Wuhan on Friday morning local time.
- The Wuhan evacuees are expected to be quarantined for two weeks in former NHS accommodation in north-west England. As a precaution all those who come into contact with them will wear protective clothing.
- The number of people tested for the virus in the UK has now reached 161, with all coming back negative. The figure came in the latest daily 2pm update from the Department of Health and Social Care.
-
A Chinese couple on a locked down Italian cruise ship, with 6,000 people on board, are reported to have tested negative for coronavirus . One of the couple had fever and both were being kept in solitary confinement on board as the ship is docked in Civitavecchia, north of Rome.
- The World Health Organization is meeting once again on whether to declare coronavirus a global emergency. New cases have been reported in Tibet and India.
- British Airways has cancelled all flight to and from China for a month. It claims the move was made in consultation with the Foreign Office.
-
Russia has closed its border with China and will stop issuing electronic visas to Chinese nationals. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said: “We have to do everything to protect our people.”
-
China has reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus deaths. The death toll rose to 170 on Thursday – up from 132 the previous day, a rise of 29%. The number of confirmed cases in China now stands at 7,711, up from 5,974 a day earlier.
- Almost two-thirds of airport screening tests fail to detect people with coronavirus, according to new research. A team from the London School of Hygeine and Tropical Medicine found that the current techniques are ineffective because of the incubation period and the poor sensitivity of thermal scanners.
- Angry South Koreans have volleyed eggs and expletives at a minister and officials trying over plans to quarantine hundreds of citizens in Asan. “If it’s so safe why don’t you bring them to your home?” one protester shouted at the minister.
- China’s football association has cancelled all domestic games at all levels. Meanwhile, Ikea temporarily closed its stores in China. State-run Chinese media said officials who mishandled the crisis would be punished
Updated
Only 16 people have been tested for coronavirus north of the border, and all have been negative, but Scotland’s chief medical officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, says it is “highly likely” that there will be a positive case in the coming days.
Calderwood said:
“It is highly likely we’ll have a positive case of coronavirus in Scotland in the coming days. The public can be assured that Scotland has well established plans and is well prepared for these types of outbreak. We have a proven track record of dealing with challenging health issues and have established public health and infectious disease experts working round the clock. We have also activated our emergency resilience operation.”
This reflects similar warnings from public health professionals in England. Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director and director of health protection for Public Health England, has said the first UK case is likely to come from someone already in the country.
Update on #coronavirus testing:
— Scottish Government (@scotgov) January 30, 2020
As of 2pm today, a total of 16 Scottish tests have concluded:
16 confirmed negative
0 positive
Read our latest update ➡️ https://t.co/1ndOEMq3gD
Health advice ➡️ https://t.co/lhLWEeCJuj
Guidance for travelling abroad ➡️ https://t.co/4wYN0WcF1R pic.twitter.com/azHFbRIqb7
The panic could soon be over on the locked down Italian cruise ship.
The Italian news agency Agenzia Ansa has reported that the Chinese couple suspected of catching Coronavirus have been tested negative.
#Coronavirus, dai primi esami è escluso sulla nave +++Flash+++#Civitavecchiahttps://t.co/ul4Tfmebux https://t.co/vowNRifVkY
— Agenzia ANSA (@Agenzia_Ansa) January 30, 2020
The Ita
Lisa Nandy won’t thank George Osborne for the Evening Standard’s front page.
Today’s @EveningStandard as coronavirus spreads in China & exclusive interview with Labour leadership contender Lisa Nandy pic.twitter.com/ivCjmMlA2y
— George Osborne (@George_Osborne) January 30, 2020
Wuhan evacuees to be quarantined in north-west England
Passengers from the UK evacuation flight from Wuhan, will be quarantined at an NHS facility in north west England, health reporters have been told.
The BBC’s health editor, Hugh Pym said: “I gather this could well be former accommodation for NHS staff, nurses and doctors and others, but it is not clear where it is at this stage.”
The flight is due to leave Wuhan city at 5am local time on Friday morning, which is 9pm on Thursday evening UK time.
As a precaution all those the evacuees will come into contact with will be wearing protective clothing, Pym said. This includes the bus drivers who will take the evacuees from Brize Norton to the north west.
Officials have been working to secure a flight out of Wuhan for British nationals after one planned for Thursday failed to get clearance from Chinese authorities.
The government anticipates flying out around 200 UK citizens who have been in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province.
Updated
161 people tested negative in the UK
The number of people tested for the virus in the UK has now reached 161, with all coming back negative. The figure came in the latest daily 2pm update from the Department of Health and Social Care.
UPDATE on #coronavirus testing in the UK:
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) January 30, 2020
As of 2PM on Thursday 30 January 2020, a total of 161 tests have concluded:
161 were confirmed negative
0 positive
Updates will be published at 2PM daily until further notice.
For latest information visit:
▶️ https://t.co/CZh5JdyN2Q pic.twitter.com/8gDjXAgiA9
Updated
Ireland is hoping to securing seats on a French evacuation flight for a small number of Irish citizens living in China who are concerned about the coronavirus, the government said.
The foreign affairs minister, Simon Coveney, added efforts were being made to help those who wanted to leave.
He said:
“We have spoken to our French colleagues and we are hopeful and confident that we can secure a seat on planes that would take Irish citizens who want to leave out.
“Then, when they arrive back in Europe they will have to go through the appropriate health measures to ensure that they are not carrying infection and their healthcare needs are being looked after as they should be.”
He said there was no evidence any Irish citizen had contracted the virus.
“We are working on that process and I am confident that we can support any Irish citizen anywhere in China, but particularly in the region concerned, we can support them if they want to leave we can find a way of getting them out, working with other EU countries who are more than happy to help.”
Here’s a chart that tracks the rise in deaths from the virus.
More than 6,000 people have been prevented from disembarking from a cruise ship in the Italian port city of Civitavecchia after the liner was placed on lockdown over two suspected cases of the deadly coronavirus.
Samples from a couple onboard were sent for testing after three doctors and a nurse boarded the Costa Crociere ship Costa Smeralda to tend to a woman with a fever.
The 54-year-old woman from Macau was put into isolation overnight in a hospital ward on the ship. Her husband, who did not have any symptoms, has also been tested by doctors from Rome’s Spallanzani hospital and quarantined.
The demand for face masks in the UK appears to be on the rise, PA Media reports.
On the Boots website, a six-pack of “safe & sound” surgical face masks is sold out, with a note saying they will not be receiving any further stock.
Another product on the Boots website, a box of 50 masks, is also sold out and carries the same message about not being restocked.
Boots said surgical face masks are available to order in stores as a special line from the pharmacy counter, adding that they are “working to make additional stock available for customers to purchase in store and on boots.com which we hope will land over the next week”.
A branch of B&Q in London appeared to be low on stocks of face masks, with racks empty on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, on amazon.co.uk, a pack of 12 “anti virus” flu surgical face masks is sold out, with the online retailer saying they do not know when, or if, the item will be back in stock, although there are other masks available on the site.
In China the shortage of masks has led to some improvising solutions.
From WeChat, the cutest mask. He’s 95. He lives so long for a reason~ pic.twitter.com/qHUeDICyac
— Li Yuan (@LiYuan6) January 30, 2020
The World Health Organization is meeting once again on whether to declare coronavirus a global emergency.
The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on the new #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has reconvened today.
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 30, 2020
Read more about the Emergency Committee
👉https://t.co/Qtsxqkr7xi pic.twitter.com/a0lxcBVWDk
Updated
Raab confirms British nationals will be brought home tomorrow
The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said:
“We are pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities that the evacuation flight from Wuhan airport to the UK can depart at 0500 local time on Friday 31 January.”
“The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority. Our embassy in Beijing and consular teams remain in close contact with British nationals in the region to ensure they have the latest information they need.”
Updated
UK evacuation flight could take off this evening
The foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said he hopes an emergency flight to bring back British nationals from Wuhan could take off later this evening.
Those on board will be flown in to a military base and then taken to an NHS facility in the north west for a 14-day quarantine period, sources told the Press Association.
The flight was originally supposed to leave from Wuhan on Thursday morning but was delayed as Chinese authorities had yet to grant permission for takeoff.
It is understood the flight will be taking off early Friday morning in the local timezone.
PA reports the plane could fly in to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
A woman who witnessed an ambulance arriving at a locked down hotel in York has been describing the scene.
Speaking to the York Free Press, she said:
“I was just driving past the Staycity hotel and I saw I was coming up to flashing blue lights.
“When I got closer I saw a guy with a mask on and then two figures - I guess paramedics - in the back of the ambulance with him.
“They were in white quarantine suits with a box on the back.
“I was just taken aback. I’ve never seen anything like that. When it comes so close to home, that’s when it gets a bit scary.
“It is scary when you think about it.”
More on this as we get it - Chinese national taken to hospital after taken ill at York hotel https://t.co/gN9QGJzMmp
— Chloe Laversuch (@ChloeLaversuch) January 30, 2020
Summary
Here are the main developments so far today:
- An Italian cruise ship, with 6,000 people on board, is on lockdown after two Chinese passengers on board are suspected of catching coronavirus. One of the couple has a fever and both are being kept in solitary confinement on board as the ship is docked in Civitavecchia, north of Rome.
- British Airways has cancelled all flight to and from China for a month. It claims the move was made in consultation with the Foreign Office.
- The UK government is “working urgently” with the Chinese authorities to allow a delayed evacuation flight to leave Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak. Dual national families in Wuhan have been told that UK citizens can leave, but Chinese nationals must stay behind.
- Russia has closed its border with China and will stop issuing electronic visas to Chinese nationals. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said: “We have to do everything to protect our people.”
-
China has reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus deaths. The death toll rose to 170 on Thursday – up from 132 the previous day, a rise of 29%. The number of confirmed cases in China now stands at 7,711, up from 5,974 a day earlier.
- Almost two-thirds of airport screening tests fail to detect people with coronavirus, according to new research. A team from the London School of Hygeine and Tropical Medicine found that the current techniques are ineffective because of the incubation period and the poor sensitivity of thermal scanners.
- Angry South Koreans have volleyed eggs and expletives at a minister and officials trying over plans to quarantine hundreds of citizens in Asan. “If it’s so safe why don’t you bring them to your home?” one protester shouted at the minister.
- China’s football association has cancelled all domestic games at all levels. Meanwhile, Ikea temporarily closed its stores in China. State-run Chinese media said officials who mishandled the crisis would be punished
These before and after satellite images of Wuhan give a flavour of what a city of 11 million people looks like on lockdown:
A hotel in Yorkshire has been put on lockdown after a man, believed to be a Chinese national, was taken to hospital after falling ill.
The man, who was a guest at the Staycity Hotel in the centre of York, was taken to hospital by medics on Wednesday night.
Paramedics wearing special protective clothing entered the hotel, near the city’s Barbican theatre, after reports that a guest had fallen ill at around 7.50pm yesterday on Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for the hotel group said:
“Staycity Group have confirmed that a man, believed to be a Chinese national, staying at the group’s property in York was taken ill yesterday and is understood to be undergoing tests at a local hospital.
“Paramedics accompanied the man, along with his two travelling companions, out of the property at around 7.50pm last night.
“Staycity is unable to confirm which hospital the three people were taken to or what the outcome of the tests are at this point.
“Until more is known the apartment containing the group’s belongings will be cordoned off, along with surrounding rooms, after which the area will undergo a thorough environmental clean and disinfection, as is company policy.”
Shares in Carnival, the international cruise operator, have slumped by 7% this morning following that report that a couple from Hong Kong are in solitary confinement on one of its ships docked off the Italian coast.
ANSA, the Italian news service, reports that one of the pair has a fever and is being tested by the authorities for coronavirus. The 6,000 passengers on board the Costa Smeralda (one of the world’s biggest cruise ships) are currently unable to get off.
According to ANSA, the couple had arrived from Hong Kong at Milan Malpensa airport on Saturday 25 January and then headed to Savona (in Northern Italy) where they boarded the ship for the cruise.
The mayor of Civitavecchia Ernesto Tedesco has said the situation is under “careful control”, and that all the necessary protocols are being followed.
More on BA’s decision to ground China flights for a month.
PA Media Reports:
BA normally operates daily flights from Heathrow to the two cities but these have been suspended since the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) updated its advice on Tuesday to warn against “all but essential travel” to mainland China.
Flights to and from Hong Kong are unaffected.
A spokesman for the carrier said: “We are contacting customers on cancelled flights so we can discuss their travel options, including re-booking on to other carriers where possible, full refunds, or booking with BA for a later date of travel.
“Customers can also find the latest information and options on BA.com.
“Safety is at the heart of everything we do and we will keep the situation under review.”
Virgin Atlantic is operating its flights between Heathrow and Shanghai as normal, saying it will “continue to monitor the situation”.
Several Chinese carriers are also running their usual schedule of UK flights.
An airline industry source told the PA news agency that the FCO’s travel advice is a recommendation rather than a ban, and carriers are making individual assessments on whether to continue flights.
No 10: UK working urgently with China over evacuation flight
Downing Street has said that the UK is still negotiating with China over the delayed evacuation flight from Wuhan.
A spokesman said: “The UK government is working urgently with China to ensure an evacuation flight from Wuhan can take off as soon as possible.”
He added: “A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned including the British repatriation from Wuhan.
The flight is planned to touch down at a military base in the UK before passengers are taken to an NHS facility to be quarantined.
But the plane has been prevented from leaving China because “we haven’t got the necessary clearances and we are working with the Chinese authorities on securing those”, the spokesman said.
Updated
BA cancels China flights for a month
British Airways has cancelled flights to China for a month.
Earlier it said it was only planning to stop China flights until Monday, but after advice from the Foreign Office no BA flights to and from China will happen until 29 February, according to a statement sent to the BBC’s Robin Brant.
After some confusion yesterday @British_Airways confirms it’s cancelled all #China flights for a month #coronarvirus pic.twitter.com/gqDfd0YSKe
— Robin Brant 白洛宾 (@robindbrant) January 30, 2020
Cruise ship in Italy on lockdown in virus scare
Thousands of people are being kept on board an Italian cruise ship as tests are carried out on two Chinese passengers suspected of having caught coronavirus, a spokesman for the Costa Crociere cruise company has said.
Reuters reports:
The couple arrived in Italy on 25 January and boarded the ship, the Costa Smeralda, in the port of Savona that same day. They subsequently came down with a fever and are suffering breathing difficulties.
The liner has visited Marseilles in France, and the Spanish ports of Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca this week before docking on Thursday at Civitavecchia, north of Rome.
None of the 6,000 passengers and crew are being allowed off the ship while medical checks were carried out to see if the pair had the potentially deadly coronavirus, the company spokesman said.
He said it might take “a few hours” before the situation became clearer.
Coppia di cinesi con febbre alta su nave crociera a #Civitavecchia, bloccati seimila passeggeri: sospetti per #Coronavirus, in isolamento nell'ospedale di bordo, raggiunti dai medici dello#Spallanzani per realizzare i test#ioseguoTgr @TgrRaiLazio pic.twitter.com/ZOZXihg3G6
— Tgr Rai (@TgrRai) January 30, 2020
Updated
Kharn Lambert, a British citizen stranded in Wuhan with his 81-year-old grandmother, has welcomed the UK government’s decision to quarantine those returning from China.
On Wednesday the government initially said that those returning would be asked to “self-isolate” for two weeks. At the time Lambert criticised the idea as “ludicrous and stupid”.
But today he said he was “happy” the government had changed its approach to containing the virus by forcing those who return to be placed in a NHS facility for a fortnight.
Speaking on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show, Lambert said: “It was what we were all discussing in our WeChat groups yesterday about how this was not acceptable. And then once we heard the news that this quarantine was happening, I think everybody felt a lot more pleased because we don’t want to put the health of the British public at risk.
“If that means going into quarantine for 14 days, then that’s what is necessary.”
Updated
Hundreds of Britons hoping to flee the Chinese region at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak have been left stranded after an emergency government-chartered flight to take them home was delayed.
A plane was due to leave locked-down Wuhan on Thursday morning, evacuating about 200 Britons to the UK, where they would be quarantined for two weeks at a secure NHS facility.
But the plans were scuppered late on Wednesday as Chinese authorities had yet to grant the plane permission for takeoff, leaving British officials scrambling to negotiate.
Russia closes its border with China
Russia is closing its border with China to prevent the spread of coronavirus and will stop issuing electronic visas to Chinese nationals, AFP reports.
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told a government meeting that the order had been signed “to take measures to close the border (with China) in the Far East”.
“We have to do everything to protect our people,” he said.
The Russian foreign ministry said that as of Thursday it would stop issuing Chinese citizens with electronic visas, which can be used to cross into parts of the Far East and western Russia.
The foreign ministry also advised Russians to refrain from travelling to China and for those in China to get in touch with the Russian embassy.
Russia does not have any confirmed cases of the new virus but the Russian government has set up a task force to prevent its possible spread.
Russia has closed its border with China over coronavirus. The two countries had more than $110bn in trade last year https://t.co/KbsZeP4YJF
— Alec Luhn (@ASLuhn) January 30, 2020
UK citizen Matt Raw, who is stranded in Wuhan says he decided to stay in the city because his wife Chinese wife has been told she will not be allowed to take the evacuation flight to the UK.
“We’re at a point now where my wife can’t come, so there’s no point in us even even trying anymore,” he told BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show.
The couple are also worried about being infected with the virus on the evacuation flight.
Raw said: “I think there’s actually a danger now of even taking the flight, particularly with the news that we received this morning that three Japanese people were actually infected whilst on their evacuation flight.
“So there’s a risk of staying here versus the risks of taking the flight.”
Human rights campaigners are concerned that Chinese authorities are trying to stifle criticism of their approach to the virus under the pretext of countering false rumours.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticised the over zealous way Beijing is trying to control the flow of information about coronavirus.
In a statement it said: “rather than rebutting false information and disseminating reliable facts, the authorities in some instances have appeared more concerned with silencing criticism.”
It cited the case of a Wuhan doctor who in December alerted friends on WeChat group to what was then an unknown illness. He was initially warned by hospital officials not “spread rumours” and is now being treated for the condition.
HRW also pointed out that the authorities have censored social media posts by families of people seeking help.
Here’s our latest news report on the crisis:
China has reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus deaths as countries struggled to evacuate citizens still trapped in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the outbreak began.
The death toll rose to 170 on Thursday – up from 132 the previous day, a rise of 29%. The number of confirmed cases in China now stands at 7,711, up from 5,974 a day earlier.
It is understood that 162 of the deaths – or 95% – are in Hubei province, where Wuhan is located. Of the new deaths, 37 were in Hubei province and one in the south-western province of Sichuan.
The World Health Organization, which initially downplayed the severity of the virus, has warned all governments to be “on alert”, and its emergency committee is to meet later on Thursday to decide whether to declare a global health emergency.
The WHO’s emergencies chief, Dr Michael Ryan, said the few cases of human-to-human spread of the virus outside China – in Japan, Germany, Canada and Vietnam – were of “great concern”.
The US and Japan have started evacuating citizens, and other countries are poised to send chartered flights to Wuhan, amid reports that some evacuations had been held up by delays in obtaining permission from the Chinese authorities.
A British flight to bring about 200 nationals back to the UK was unable to take off as planned on Thursday. The Foreign Office said it was “working urgently” to organise a flight to the UK.
63% of infected patients undetected by airport screening
Almost two-thirds of airport screening tests fail to detect people with coronavirus, according to new research.
Researchers at the Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have modelled the effectiveness of screening based on estimates of the incubation period and sensitivity of detection techniques.
They found are using “generally conservative assumptions” more than 63% of infected patients do not get detected. A paper on the research warned that such screening “is only achievable if the rate of asymptomatic infections that are transmissible is negligible, screening sensitivity is almost perfect, and the incubation period is short.”
It concluded:
“We find that airport screening for initial symptoms, via thermal scanners or similar, on either exit or entry is unlikely to detect a sufficient proportion of 2019-nCoV infected travellers in order to avoid entry of infected travellers and therefore the potential for seeding of local transmission.
We've made an interactive tool to visualise the effectiveness of airport screening for detecting #2019nCoV cases. Adjust travel times, incubation period length, screening sensitivities and more at https://t.co/V0jWLGWpY3 @cmmid_lshtm @samclifford @StfnFlsch @rozeggo pic.twitter.com/pPGyS9Ef6i
— Billy Quilty (@BQuilty) January 28, 2020
Photograph: Kim Jun-beom/AP
Angry South Koreans have volleyed eggs and expletives at a minister and officials trying over plans to quarantine hundreds of citizens set to be flown home from Wuhan, Reuters reports.
The first of up to four flights planned to evacuate South Koreans from Wuhan had been expected to depart on Thursday morning, but China had only approved one flight, causing a delay until later in the day, South Korea’s foreign minister said.
South Korea also reported its fifth and sixth confirmed cases of the virus on Thursday, including the first case of a person infected in South Korea. Previous cases only involved people who had travelled to Wuhan.
About 700 South Koreans in Wuhan have registered to be flown out, but protesters in Asan and Jincheon, cities about 80 km (50 miles) south of Seoul, the capital, used tractors on Wednesday to block access to facilities earmarked for quarantine centres.
In Asan, demonstrators threw eggs and swore when Chin Young, the minister of interior and safety, arrived to talk to them on Thursday, prompting police to hold up black umbrellas as a shield.
“If it’s so safe why don’t you bring them to your home?” one protester shouted at Chin.
The minister said he sympathised with the concerns and sought their understanding, saying the facilities were chosen as the only ones large enough to accommodate the evacuees.
“South Korean citizens in Wuhan are suffering... So we need to bring them in as soon as possible, right?” he said.
The government wants to isolate evacuees for at least two weeks at the facilities, usually used as training centres for government officials, to rule out any symptoms.
Ahead of Thursday’s flights, President Moon Jae-in called for calm and decried “fake news” for having stirred up excessive anxiety.
Opening Remarks by Pres. Moon(@moonriver365) at Meeting to Check Measures against New Coronavirus Infections
— The Office of President Moon Jae-in (@TheBlueHouseENG) January 30, 2020
"The weapon that can protect us from the new coronavirus is not fear and aversion but trust and cooperation."
▶Full text : https://t.co/X2lkUmqXOi pic.twitter.com/smAYDoJ9Al
Updated
British Airways said it has suspended its flights to and from mainland China until Monday “as we continually review our schedule according to advice from the authorities”.
Updated
UK still negotiating 'difficult issues' over delayed evacuation
The UK government still has “difficult issues” to negotiate with the Chinese authorities over a flight to evacuate British nationals from Wuhan, the city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, a minister has said.
The Foreign Office has said the flight will not now take place on Thursday as the government had hoped.
Nick Gibb, the School Standards Minister, told Sky News:
“There are some difficult issues that are being negotiated at very senior levels between the British Government and the Chinese government.
“Our priority is to ensure the safety and welfare of British nationals in Wuhan and ensure they do return to the UK as soon as possible.”
Gibb said the plan was for them to be taken to an “NHS facility” on their return, where they would be kept for 14 days to make sure that they do not have symptoms of the virus.
“It (the flight) is certainly coming to a military base in the UK and then the British nationals will go to the NHS facility for 14 days of quarantine,” he said.
A British-Chinese couple who are trying to flee Wuhan with their baby son face being split up because the Chinese government are refusing to give their citizens permission to leave.
Adam Bridgeman, 33, from London has been told he can board an evacuation flight to the UK, but if he did he would have to leave his Chinese wife, and possibly their month-old-son, Austin, behind.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “We have been in touch with the Foreign Office, and they have confirmed that I would be able to board a flight out of Wuhan, but they have told me categorically that my wife can’t go.
“My wife is a Chinese citizen. She has a valid visa, it is just that the Chinese side have forbidden Chinese nationals to board the flight.
Bridgeman said it was unclear if he would be allowed to take his son, who was born at the start of outbreak.
It is very tough decision because if I could take my son I would consider going to take him to safety. But if I can’t take my son or my wife I’ll definitely stay here.
He’s one month old. He is being considered a Chinese citizen. We stay at home most of the time. I’m fairly confident that we’re safe here, but with a new born baby there are lots of times when you are worried about their health. We’d have to go to the hospital to get treatment, and we’re not really willing to take the risk at the moment. So it is a very tough situation.
Speaking later to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Bridgeman said the family were getting food and supplies, including nappies, delivered to avoid leaving their home.
His son was due for a hepatitis B jab this week but he has been kept indoors to avoid the risk of infection at the hospital.
Bridgeman said: “I’m not that frightened at the moment. I’m trying to stay positive and hope it blows over. I’m most concerned about my baby. He needs medical attention at some point, but I don’t want to take him out.”
Bridgeman has been told that the delayed evacuation flight to the UK could leave on Friday. He said: “I don’t want to break our family apart, the baby is too young. So we’ll probably stay here if we can’t all go.”
Updated
Summary
It’s been another very busy day of news on the coronavirus outbreak. Here are the main points:
- The death toll in China stands at 170, with 7,711 confirmed cases of infections
- The US and Japan have already flown out some of their citizens out of Wuhan, but UK citizens were told they would not be airlifted on Thursday.
- The UK evacuation flight has been delayed the planned evacuation flight because it has not got permission from the Chinese authorities to leave.
- Japan confirmed another three cases, taking its infection toll to 11.
- More airlines, including Air Canada, have suspended flights to Shanghai and Beijing
- China’s football association cancelled all domestic games at all levels
- Ikea temporarily closed its stores in China
- State-run Chinese media said officials who mishandled the crisis would be punished
Updated
Standby for our business live blog with Graeme Wearden, which is sure to focus on the impact of virus fears on the markets.
In the meantime, an interesting chart tweeted out here about economies most vulnerable to the issue:
Thailand & Taiwan are most vulnerable economies in emerging Asia as coronavirus fears roar back to roil markets across the region. Moderately vulnerable: South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore. Least vulnerable: Philippines, Indonesia, and India. China remains virus epicenter (via BBG) pic.twitter.com/0gYXMig0eP
— Holger Zschaepitz (@Schuldensuehner) January 30, 2020
Updated
UK flight delayed
UK nationals in Wuhan were hoping to be evacuated on Thursday, but their flight was delayed because permission had not been granted by the Chinese authorities.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK. A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned.
“We continue working urgently to organise a flight to the UK as soon as possible.”
Those who are brought home to the UK are expected to be quarantined at a secure NHS facility. You can read our full story on it here.
Updated
The state-run tabloid Global Times has also picked up the story about officials being punished if they mishandle rescue funds or falsify materials during the the virus outbreak.
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of CPC Thursday urged officials to follow discipline amid #coronavirus battle, vowing to punish illegal acts such as mishandling rescue funds, fabricating and falsifying materials during epidemic prevention and control work. pic.twitter.com/kTs6BqPXoq
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) January 30, 2020
Wuhan residents offered help to get home
With flights into and out of Wuhan suspended, many residents of the city who left over the lunar new year have been unable to return home. China’s aviation authority has now approved chartered flights to do just that, state television said on Thursday.
Domestic and international airlines have cancelled flights between Wuhan and overseas cities since 23 January. The aviation authority has also asked the airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Taiwan’s stock market has closed down 5.75% on its first of trading after reopening following the lunar new year holiday.
There are also reports that the government is planning to intervene to prop up the market. That begs the question of what will happen to China’s mainland stocks when trading recommences next week.
Taiwan said it’s planning to call a meeting of its National Stabilization Fund to intervene in the stock market.
— YUAN TALKS (@YuanTalks) January 30, 2020
Taiwan’s main stock index closed down 5.75% to its lowest in almost three months, on the first trading day after Lunar New Year holiday.
Officials who don't carry out President Xi's instructions on virus will be punished
The Reuters news agency is reporting that China’s anti-corruption watchdog said on Thursday it will severely punish officials who slack off on the job in fighting a new virus that is spreading across the country.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said on its website that anyone who doesn’t effectively carry out President Xi Jinping’s instructions in the fight against the virus would be punished.
CCDI also said it would punish those who are derelict in their duty and misappropriate rescue funds and materials.
Updated
The state-run People’s Daily says China is expected to resume the production of face masks on 3 February, and produce 180m masks per day by the end of February. The first working day after the lunar new year holiday is 3 February.
China is expected to resume its mask production with normal capacity on Feb 3 and produce 180m masks per day by the end of Feb. The domestic production, together with imported masks, will ease the gap between supply and demand, according to PLA Daily. pic.twitter.com/OLv8JfynX4
— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) January 30, 2020
As I reported a little while ago, supplies of many things in Hong Kong are running out in the face of the escalating coronavirus.
These drug stores in North Point opened a couple months ago to cater to mainland tour buses. But they’ve been largely empty. Until this morning, when the hunt for masks has sent residents scouring the city. Didn’t have any last time I checked pic.twitter.com/dyozsjN4J8
— Austin Ramzy (@austinramzy) January 30, 2020
Contagion hits financial markets
The impact of the outbreak on the financial markets is a rapidly developing part of the story. Today has seen another broad selloff on Asian stock markets with the Hang Seng in Hong Kong down 1.7% in the second successive day of losses. The Nikkei in Tokyo has fallen nearly 2% and the Kospi in Seoul is down 1.8%. The ASX200 in Sydney has closed down 0.3%. Chinese mainland markets arestill closed for the new year holiday.
Although these falls come from high values – in Australia’s case record highs – there is mounting alarm about how the continuing shutdown of economic activity in China might crimp growth around the world.
The world’s most important policymaker, US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, said on Wednesday that he was watching the situation in China closely.
“There is likely to be some disruption to activity in China and globally,” he said. “It’s very uncertain how far it will spread and what the (economic) effects will be in China, for its trading partners, and around the world.... We are very carefully monitoring the situation.”
Serves me right for checking the terminal when I should be going to bed: the 3-month-10-year Treasury yield curve has just inverted in Asian trading. Classic recession indicator. Night night, all. pic.twitter.com/Mvb8Ehr0ZZ
— John Authers (@johnauthers) January 30, 2020
The concerns were betrayed in the bond markets where the three-month-10-year US treasury yield curve inverted, a classic indicator of recession.
For the uninitiated, that means that the interest rate (or yield) payable on 10-year American government debt has fallen below the yield on the three-month equivalent. Normally you’d expect longer-term investments like the 10-year bond to yield more. So an upside down correlation means that investors are worried about future grwoth prospects. This inversion is typically followed by a recession. But having said that, it happened back in August and the US economy has powered on since then. So mit might just prove that the world of monetary policy itself has been turned upside down.
Updated
Australian state of Queensland tests 41 people for virus
A short update from Queensland in Australia, where their first person has been diagnosed with coronavirus. Another 41 people are currently being tested for the virus.
“These are people who have been in China within the last 14 days and have developed symptoms and they’re now being tested,” Queensland’s chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said.
Updated
The state run Chinese tabloid, the Global Times, is reporting that Beijing’s Xiaotangshan hospital that was built for the Sars crisis is being renovated and will be reopened “when needed” to help with the coronavirus.
Beijing health authorities confirmed on Thursday that Beijing's Xiaotangshan hospital built for the #SARS crisis in 2003 is being renovated amid the novel #coronavirus outbreak and will be reopened when needed.(Photos: Li Hao/GT) pic.twitter.com/3L9IG2q3iK
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) January 30, 2020
Updated
'Severe shortage' of medical supplies in Hubei, says governor
Hubei province’s governor, Wang Xiaodong, has said that the whole province has a “severe shortage” of medical supplies, not just Wuhan, according to the broadcaster CGTN. It also reports some medical staff are wearing raincoats and using disposable garbage bags as shoe covers to protect themselves in the city of Huanggang, 75km east of Wuhan.
Wang stressed at the press conference the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in Huanggang City, and vowed to prevent it from becoming the second Wuhan, CGTN reported.
Hubei has a severe shortage of medical supplies, says governor https://t.co/EgSA3tUANk
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) January 30, 2020
Australians must pay to leave Wuhan – report
It’s being reported that Australians wanting to leave Wuhan will need to pay $1,000 to board the Qantas flight that is being chartered to get them out. The Sydney Morning Herald reports evacuees will have to pay the fee and sign a waiver allowing them to be quarantined at the Christmas Island detention centre for up to 14 days. After their stay on Christmas Island, they will be dropped off in Perth and have to pay their own way to their city of residence, the outlet reports.
The Australian Medical Association has said it feels the repatriation of Australians from Wuhan to Christmas Island is “not really appropriate”. The island was previously used as a detention centre for asylum seekers and refugees arriving by boat.
We feel that the repatriation to Christmas Island, to a place where has been previously the focus of populations under enormous mental and physical trauma and anguish, is not a really appropriate solution. #coronavirus @amapresident https://t.co/FbSaEEHmm4
— AMA Media (@ama_media) January 29, 2020
New Zealanders wanting to leave Wuhan on an Air New Zealand flight have also been told they will need to contribute to their fare, though no details of the cost have been released.
Updated
Papua New Guinea’s immigration minister has said no visitors from “Asian ports’’ will be admitted into the country because of fears of coronavirus, but this advice has been directly contradicted by the country’s national airline.
In a public notice issued on 28 January, the minister for immigration and border protection, Westly Nukundj, said “all citizens originating from the Asian ports will be refused entry into the country effective today. This is a preventative measure taken to ensure the spread of the coronavirus that is rapidly spreading in the world is minimised.”
The statement was issued to “all operating airlines, shipping lines, and overseas missions”. But it does not specify which ports, in which countries, are regarded as Asian. PNG overland border with Indonesia in Vanimo, West Sepik, has also been closed. “All entry and departures from PNG must be through Jacksons International Airport.”
But Air Niugini, PNG’s national carrier, said it would not uplift any passengers who had been to Wuhan city or Hubei province during the last three weeks. Passengers flying to Port Moresby from Singapore, Hong Kong, or Manila are being screened for the virus before being allowed to board.
“However, there are no other restrictions on travel to PNG from an Asian port. Air Niugini does not operate direct flights to or from mainland China.”
Returning to Australia, the state of Queensland declared its first case of coronavirus today. A 44-year-old Chinese national from Wuhan in Hubei province, arrived in Melbourne via Singapore as part of a two group in 22 January, five days before feeling unwell.
He developed symptoms on a flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast in Queensland on Tiger Airways flight #TT566 on 27 January, arriving at 8.45pm.
Authorities are attempting to contact other passengers on that flight. He was travelling with eight other people, all of who are in isolation in Gold Coast University hospital. Four of them are unwell and are being tested for the virus.
“There is a low risk to the people on the flight so we will be contacting each one of them,” Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said.
Just a bit more information on the Chinese Football Association’s decision to cancel all domestic matches. It follows their announcement yesterday that the first three rounds in the 2020 AFC Champions League would be played as away matches. This affects 6 games in 4 Chinese Super Clubs. The adjusted schedule is as follows:
- February 11th Group E Seoul FC Korea VS Beijing Guoan
- February 12 Group G Korea Suwon Samsung VS Guangzhou Evergrande
- February 18 Group F Ulsan Hyundai VS Shanghai Shenhua
- February 19 Group H Jeonbuk Hyundai VS Shanghai SIPG
- March 3 Group E Australia Melbourne victory VS Beijing Guoan
- March 4th Group H Yokohama Mariners Japan vs Shanghai SIPG
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In Hong Kong people are bulk buying in supermarkets, and one resident, Rae Strachan, says there is growing concern over the virus.
“It’s total panic here. I keep telling people that more people die each year from the common cold! People are buying up in bulk from supermarkets and all children’s playrooms and activities are closed. It’s like a ghost town.”
She says schools have been cancelled and many children’s activities have been cancelled, including Disney and Ocean Park.
Updated
Singapore and Indonesia evacuate citizens
Singapore said a plane carrying 92 of its citizens would leave Wuhan on Thursday as the city-state joined several other countries in airlifting people out of the epicentre.
Indonesia also said it would exfiltrate citizens from Wuhan and that they would be quarantined for 14 days to avoid contagion.
We’ll bring you more details about these evacuations shortly.
Australian patients recover from virus
We’ve just had an update from the chief health officer in the Australian state of New South Wales, where there are currently four confirmed cases of the virus. Kerry Chant said that two of the four were now well and were discharged from hospital yesterday. They have no symptoms. Two others remain in a stable condition, she said.
“The close contacts of the cases are being monitored by public health units and no cases have been identified amongst those close contacts,” Chant said.
There are 20 cases currently under investigation in the state she said (11 men, 9 woman aged 5-74 years). All are in isolation at the moment, she said.
China’s top court has launched a rare rebuke of the police force, saying its unreasonably harsh crackdown on online rumours during the country’s deadly coronavirus outbreak had undermined public trust.
China has been battling the spread of infection that has surpassed the global reach of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) outbreak of 2002-03.
Authorities suspect the disease originated in a wild animal market in the central city of Wuhan, and told the World Health Organization about the new virus on the last day of 2019.
A day later, eight people were detained by police after claiming online that Wuhan was in the grip of a fresh Sars outbreak.
The group were punished for “publishing or forwarding false information on the internet without verification”, a police statement at the time said.
In a highly unusual criticism of the police, supreme court judge Tang Xinghua wrote on Wednesday that officers should have been more lenient with those who published the rumours.
“If the public had believed these ‘rumours’ at the time, and carried out measures like wearing masks, strictly disinfecting and avoiding wildlife markets ... it might have been a good thing,” he said.
Tang said the indiscriminate crackdown on online rumours could have “become negative textbook material for weakening public trust in the government” or a “vicious event” eroding support for the Communist party.
In a response posted on Weibo, Wuhan police argued they had only given “education and criticism” to the eight and had not meted out harsher punishment such as “warnings, fines, or detention”.
Updated
South Korea cracks down on spread of 'social confusion'
South Korea police are investigating allegations that false information is being circulated about the spread of the coronavirus. Our correspondent in Tokyo, Justin McCurry, reports that one allegation involves a text message scam where people are asked to provide personal data in exchange for confidential health details about the outbreak.
False rumours have also been spread about certain schools having children infected by the virus, causing alarm in the hyper-connected country.
“We are promptly asking the telecommunications regulator and site operators to delete or block false information that can lead to social confusion,” Yonhap new agency quoted a police spokesperson as saying.
Here’s Justin’s full report:
Our correspondent in Sichuan, Michael Standaert, writes that today would have been the last official day of the lunar new year holiday in China, and though that has been extended by Beijing until 2 February, many people are wondering when they should start back for the cities they live in and how long it will take to get there. There are going to be major travel challenges in the next week or so, he says. Even with no crisis, the travel congestion is considerable at this time of year. But with villages blocked off, checkpoints for temperature scans, and many places being unreachable, it is likely to be much much worse when people do start to travel.
Chinese football association postpones domestic games
All football games at all levels and involving all types in China will be postponed, in order to help control the virus spread, the association said in a statement on its website, according to Reuters.
Updated
Ikea closes stores in China
The Swedish furniture giant, Ikea, has announced it is temporarily closing all its stores in China because of the outbreak of the new coronavirus, the Reuters news agency reports.
The decision to close all of its 30 stores follows an announcement from world’s biggest furniture retailer on Wednesday that it was closing around half of its stores and shortening the opening hours.
Just a bit more information on that Air New Zealand flight out of Wuhan ... I understand there are just under 60 New Zealanders currently registered as being in Wuhan, so that will leave additional seats on the flight.
New Zealand charters flight to get citizens out of Wuhan
The New Zealand government has said it will charter an Air New Zealand plane to get its citizens out of Wuhan. The plane has a capacity of 300 passengers. The government says additional seats will be offered to Australian and Pacific Islands citizens “as a matter of priority”.
Those who take a seat on the plane will be required to pay a “nominal fee”, but the bulk of the cost will be carried by the NZ government.
The statement from the foreign affairs department, which you can read in full below, says officials are “currently developing procedures for: pre-departure health screening of passengers, infection control inflight, and isolation of all passengers arriving in New Zealand for up to two weeks.”
Government charters Air NZ flight to assist Wuhan departure
The Government has agreed with Air New Zealand to charter an aircraft to assist New Zealanders leaving Wuhan, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.
The aircraft will have capacity for around 300 passengers and will fly from Wuhan to New Zealand. Officials will be working through operational requirements with Air New Zealand and Chinese authorities.
New Zealanders in the Hubei region who are registered on Safetravel have been emailed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to register interest in the flight, which is subject to Chinese Government approval.
“We are pleased to be have been able to offer this assistance to New Zealanders in a challenging situation,” Mr Peters said.
“We encourage all New Zealanders in the Hubei region to register on Safetravel and ensure all their details are accurate and up to date. This will give us a better understanding of the level of demand for this flight.”
“New Zealand will be offering any additional seats to Pacific Island and Australian citizens as a matter of priority.”
“This is a complex operation as we work through all the necessary requirements but we are working to have the aircraft depart as soon as possible.”
Consular teams will be working with health officials to ensure that the risks of transmission of the Coronavirus to New Zealand are carefully managed throughout the evacuation process.
Officials are currently developing procedures for: pre-departure health screening of passengers, infection control inflight, and isolation of all passengers arriving in New Zealand for up to two weeks.
Those who do take a seat on the plane will be required to pay a nominal fee, however the government will absorb most of the cost of the charter flight.
“The New Zealand Government would like to thank Air New Zealand for its support in assisting to bring New Zealanders home,” Mr Peters said.
Updated
Asian stocks have slipped today as anxieties about the coronavirus outbreak again preyed on the minds of investors.
Major airlines have suspended travel to China and Oreo maker Mondelez has shut down two factories in China for 10 days, highlighting corporate concerns about the spread of the virus.
Jerome Powell, chair of the US federal reserve, said the outbreak was adding to global economic uncertainty as he announced rates were staying on hold for now.
Asian stocks extend their losing streak as a sell-off continues on coronavirus fears:
— Bloomberg Next China (@next_china) January 30, 2020
-Hong Kong stocks open in red
-Taiwan stocks at lowest level since Dec. 11 https://t.co/1vOLcexuCs pic.twitter.com/ZdhdfXfTO3
“In a matter of days, the coronavirus has shuffled the cards, and Fed policy is not sitting quite as comfortably,” said Alan Ruskin, chief international strategist at Deutsche Bank told Reuters.
“The Fed, like everybody else, is going to have a tough time quantifying the scale of the potentially large shock emanating out of China.”
New Zealand has no cases of virus
New Zealand has not currently had any cases of the virus, nor any suspected cases, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, director general of health for New Zealand has said.
“We are expecting a case but we know what to do when we do,” he said.
His main advice to New Zealanders was that if they have been in Hubei or Wuhan in the past 14 days, they should self-isolate (as per the advice in neighbouring Australia).
“It means largely staying at home - exercise or a walk is fine,” he said.
He said that with no precautionary measures taken by someone with the virus, they could be expected to infect two or three other people, which is a “relatively low” number.
He didn’t give any update on potential plans for New Zealanders to join Australia’s intended evacuation of its citizens to Christmas Island.
Our correspondent in Sichuan province, Michael Standaert, writes that work has continued under bright lights overnight on Leishenshan Hospital, the second of two that workers are rushing to build in around two weeks in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Beijing News reports that workers have split into two shifts, with the night crew working from 8pm to 7.30am.
Once completed the hospital will have 1,600 beds for patients and enough room for 2,000 medical staff, with most of the facility devoted to isolation wards. Live views of the progress can be seen here.
At 4:30 pm on Tuesday, about 10 million people were watching the ongoing construction of the Huoshenshan and Leishenshan hospitals - two makeshift hospitals for novel coronavirus patients in suburban #Wuhan.
— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) January 29, 2020
Updated
I’m also seeing reports that Delta Airlines have announced that they are cutting in half the number of flights between China and the US.
Air Canada Suspends Flights to Beijing, Shanghai: https://t.co/TUyvgtHEpi
— Air Canada (@AirCanada) January 29, 2020
//
Air Canada suspend ses vols à destination de Beijing et Shanghai : https://t.co/hLoYPrG2L8
Air Canada suspends direct flights to Beijing and Shanghai
I mentioned earlier that some airlines, including British Airways, have suspended direct flights to China. Air Canada has announced it is suspending all flights to Beijing and Shanghai from 30 January to 29 February. The last flights from the two cities back to Canada will take off on 30 January. It follows the government’s advice to avoid non-essential travel to mainland China.
Canada’s public health authorities have reported three confirmed cases of coronavirus.
Air Canada Suspends Flights to Beijing, Shanghai: https://t.co/TUyvgtHEpi
— Air Canada (@AirCanada) January 29, 2020
//
Air Canada suspend ses vols à destination de Beijing et Shanghai : https://t.co/hLoYPrG2L8
Updated
Donald Trump has recently tweeted that he’s been updated on the virus outbreak. American citizens were airlifted out of Wuhan on Wednesday.
Just received a briefing on the Coronavirus in China from all of our GREAT agencies, who are also working closely with China. We will continue to monitor the ongoing developments. We have the best experts anywhere in the world, and they are on top of it 24/7! pic.twitter.com/rrtF1Stk78
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2020
Australia confirms Queensland case of virus
Australian authorities are reporting the first case of the virus in the state of Queensland. The 44-year-old Chinese national from Wuhan in Hubei province, flew into Melbourne, spent some time there and then flew to QLD on January 27, where he became unwell. He has been confirmed to have coronavirus and is in isolation in Gold Coast University hospital in a stable condition. The other eight people who were travelling with him are also in isolation in the same hospital. Four of them are unwell and are being tested for coronavirus.
Queensland health authorities are contacting passengers on the flight the group took. They also confirmed that the Chinese women’s national football team is currently in isolation in a Brisbane hotel.
Updated
I’m just catching up on the remainder of that Australian press conference a short time ago. The health minister, Greg Hunt, confirmed that two Australians in Guangdong province have contracted the coronavirus.
“They have been treated and the advice that I have – and I would want to be cautious on this – is that they have been released and are not seeking consular assistance at this stage.”
We know that the US and Japan have carried out airlifts of hundreds of their nationals from China. A Japanese government-chartered plane took 206 people to Tokyo on Wednesday. A US-chartered plane took around 240 of its citizens home, including staff from Wuhan.
The roughly 200 UK citizens in Wuhan have been told they will not be airlifted out of the city on Thursday. Press Association is reporting that it’s understood Chinese officials have not yet granted permission for the chartered flight to depart. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK. A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned.”
Mondelez International, the American company that makes Oreos and Chips Ahoy cookies, said it expects first-quarter revenue will be hit by the coronavirus spreading across China, and it has temporarily closed two factories, Reuters reports.
However, Mondezlez’s chief executive, Dirk Van de Put, said the coronavirus is expected to have only a short-term impact. China accounts for nearly 4.5% of the company’s sales.
He said the Chinese government had asked the company to close two factories for 10 days to minimise the risk of infection. The company had also placed restrictions on travel by staff in China and ordered other staff to travel less to China.
Japan confirmed cases rises to 11
Three Japanese nationals who returned home from Wuhan have tested positive for the coronavirus, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK said on Thursday, citing the health ministry. Two of the three had not shown any symptoms, the ministry said, according to NHK.
The three infected people were among 206 Japanese who were repatriated on a government-chartered plane on Wednesday. A second plane carrying another 210 people landed in Tokyo on Thursday morning. The Japanese government is considering sending a third flight to collect a further 200 Japanese citizens who wish to return from Wuhan, the central Chinese city at the epicentre of the outbreak.
Japan has 11 confirmed cases of the virus, including two that are believed to have resulted from human-to-human transmission – a bus driver in his 60s who drove tourists from Wuhan on two occasions earlier this month, and a female tour guide in her 40s who worked alongside the driver and the tourists. Neither of them have travelled abroad in the past month, NHK said.
Updated
With regards to Australians who may be airlifted from China, only people who are well and are showing no symptoms will be evacuated, authorities say. People who are sick will not be able to travel to Christmas Island.
Australian authorities are now confirming what they know about how people can catch the virus: “In terms of walking past people in the street who may or may not be infected. That is also totally virtually safe. We’re talking about really close contact over a period of time. That’s an important message that people should take.”
Australian airlift of citizens
Australian authorities are holding a press conference on the country’s response to the virus outbreak, including quarantining any citizens airlifted out of China on Christmas Island for 14 day. The island is where Australia has previously detained refugees and asylum arriving in the country by boat.
Updated
Coronavirus deaths and infections in China
Let’s have a look at those new figures that have been announced. The total number of deaths is confirmed to be 170. This is up from 132 reported on Wednesday, and is a rise of of 29%.
Confirmed cases now stand at 7,711, up from 5,974.
It’s understood that 162 of the deaths – or 95% – are in Hubei province, where the outbreak started.
Updated
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus outbreak, I’m Alison Rourke.
The daily jumps in the death toll inside China have continued, with authorities announcing a new figures of 170 fatalities. All but eight of those are in Hubei province, where the outbreak began. Confirmed cases of infections stand at 7, 711.
I’ll bring you some analysis on those figures shortly and how they fit into what seems to be a trend of increases over the past few days.
In the mean time, here’s a summary of the other key points so far:
- The World Health Organization says all countries must be on alert for the virus. The WHO’s emergency committee will meet again on Thursday.
- The US and Japan have already flown out some of their citizens out of Wuhan.
- UK citizens have been told they will not be airlifted on Thursday. When they return, they may be kept in quarantine for 14 days.
- Some major airlines, including British Airways, have suspended all direct flights to and from mainland China.
As always, you can get in touch with me via email: alison.rourke@theguardian.com or on Twitter @AlisonRourke
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