China has stepped up its efforts to contain the coronavirus by locking down 17 cities with more than 50 million people, as the death toll rose to 81.
Some 52 people have been tested for the viral disease in the UK, with all tests returning negative, according to the Department of Health. Meanwhile, Britons remaining in Wuhan, the Chinese province at the centre of the outbreak, have been urged to leave the area if they are able to do so.
Priti Patel, the home secretary, has said the government was “looking at all options” to help Britons leave Wuhan following reports officials have been asked to examine the logistics for an airlift from the city.
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The death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 80 as China expanded efforts to contain the viral disease by extending the Lunar New Year holiday to keep the public at home.
A total of 17 cities with more than 50 million people have been placed on lockdown in the most far-reaching disease-control measures ever imposed.
Some 52 people have now been tested for coronavirus in the UK as of Sunday afternoon, according to the Department of Health (DoH), although all tests have returned negative.
England's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said there was a "fair chance" cases would emerge in Britain as the overall number reported around the world climbed to about 2,744.
Public Health England's medical director, Dr Yvonne Doyle, has told Sky News she suspects there were already cases of cornavirus in the UK.
But she said the country was "well-prepared".
Britons trapped in the Chinese province at the centre of the outbreak have been urged to leave the area if they are able to do so.
The Foreign Office updated its guidance to "advise against all travel to Hubei province", which has been on lockdown for several days as China seeks to contain the illness.
But the guidance also added: "If you are in this area and able to leave, you should do so. This is due to the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak."
Priti Patel, the home secretary, said the government was "looking at all options" to help Britons leave Wuhan following reports that officials have been asked to examine the logistics for an airlift from the city.
Here are the key questions and answers about travelling to and from China, from our travel correspondent Simon Calder:
Everything you need to know about travelling to, from and around China as coronavirus continues to spread
Big airlines from mainland China are offering refunds, while some cruise lines are cancelling departures from ShanghaiThe Foreign Office has confirmed it is working on making an "option available" for British nationals to leave Wuhan in the Hubei province in China.
British citizens in the region have been told to call the FCO on (+86) (0) 10 8529 6600 or (+44) (0)207 008 1500 should they need assistance.
A spokesperson said: "We continue to monitor developments closely and are in close touch with the Chinese authorities. The safety and security of British nationals is always our primary concern."
One academic has said his "best guess" was that 100,000 people had been infected by the coronavirus.
Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, told The Guardian: "There are very large numbers of Chinese tourists across Europe right now.
"Unless the Chinese manage to control this, and I'm sceptical about whether that is possible, we will get cases here."
Health officials are continuing to track down around 2,000 people who have recently flown into the UK from Wuhan, the area of China worst affected by the outbreak.
The Department of Health confirmed it is trying to find "as many passengers as we can" who arrived from the region in the past two weeks to check on their wellbeing.
It is understood Border Force officers have been recruited to help speed up the search for passengers as testing for the virus continues in the UK.
A public health hub has been set up in Heathrow, staffed by a rotating team of seven clinicians working in shifts to support patients on arrival.
Jeremy Hunt has suggested airlifts for UK citizens in China and warned of the pressure the coronavirus could put on the NHS.
Asked if he supported flying Britons back from Wuhan and elsewhere, the former foreign secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think I would be very sympathetic and I'm sure the Foreign Office would be too."
He said the NHS was well-equipped to deal with patients returning with the virus but warned it could strain the service.
"This is a very difficult time of year for the NHS - it is the most difficult time. But, again, my experience is that the NHS does know how to cope with these kinds of emergencies.
"I think the thing that will be difficult is the knock-on impact on other NHS services," he said.
"I think it would be very, very challenging for the NHS in terms of the regular workload but I have absolutely no doubt that, when it comes to doing what comes to necessary to isolate the virus and keep the public safe, our doctors and nurses will do exactly what they need to do."
Thailand and Hong Kong have each reported eight cases of infection; the United States, Australia, Taiwan and Macau have five each; Japan, Singapore and Malaysia each have reported four; France and South Korea three each; Vietnam two, and one each in Canada and Nepal.
Big businesses across China are temporarily shutting stores or advising staff to work from home to guard against the spread of the cornavirus.
Companies are also offering longer holidays, cancelling events and imposing quarantine, as they brace for longer-term impact following China's weekend decision to extend the week-long Lunar New Year holiday by three days to 2 February, in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.
Hotpot restaurant chain Haidilao International Holding said it would shut stores across China from Sunday to Friday, while gaming giant Tencent Holdings Ltd and social media firm ByteDance told staff to work from home.
Many companies, including e-commerce firm Pinduoduo, bank UBS Group AG and property developer Country Garden also advised employees returning from Wuhan or Hubei province to stay in quarantine at home.
The Spanish government is working with China and the European Union to repatriate Spanish nationals from Wuhan, the country's foreign minister has said.
"We're working ... with our consulate in Beijing, and officials in China and the European Union to repatriate around 20 Spaniards in Wuhan, Hubei, the epicentre of the coronavirus. We will continue to update on any advances," Arancha Gonzalez Laya wrote on Twitter.
France has said it expected to evacuate hundreds of its 800 citizens from Wuhan.
"French citizens will be repatriated by airplane to France, with the agreement of Chinese authorities. This will take place midweek," the country's health minister, Agnes Buzyn, told reporters on Sunday.
Evacuees will have to spend 14 days in quarantine to avoid spreading the virus in France.
The US State Department said on Sunday it would evacuate personnel from its Wuhan consulate to the US and will offer a limited number of seats to private US citizens.
China will ensure ample supplies to Wuhan's markets and maintain price stability, Premier Li Keqiang said during a visit to Wuhanon Monday, CCTV state television reported.
Mr Li went to the city to inspect efforts to contain the epidemic, and spoke with patients and medical staff.
Britain is talking to its international partners to find solutions to help British and other foreign nations leave Wuhan, a spokesman for Boris Johnson has said.
"The Foreign Office have said this morning that they are exploring options for British nationals leaving the province. The Foreign Office are in close contact with international partners, including the US and European countries, to investigate possible solutions," the prime minister's spokesman told reporters.
"The safety of British nationals is our top priority."
Cambodia has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, the country's health minister has announced.
Hospital workers caring for those infected with coronavirus are reportedly wearing adult diapers because they do not have time to go to the bathroom:
Coronavirus doctors 'wearing adult diapers because they do not have time to go to bathroom'
Vital medical supplies dwindling as government rushes to build two hospitals to cope with demandA pair of British teachers who have been working in Wuhan say they have not left their apartment for five days, that all transport has been stopped and "there is no place to go" and "so we are pretty much stuck".
Jason Neal and Sophie Hunt told BBC Breakfast there has been no reassurance from the British authorities whom they have "struggled" to contact, possibly because of the time difference and them being closed over the weekend. They have about five days of food left and are keeping in touch with colleagues online while the scene outside is now like a "ghost town".
Mr Neal said: "Even if the news is just to sit tight and nothing is going to change - I think it is just the silence that is disconcerting.
"We have not heard anything from outside of Wuhan for a week now."
He said there is a support group for people who may need help and to get masks and some volunteers are going out to make deliveries.
Ms Hunt said emailing and trying to ring the authorities has brought a "useless automated response back from the embassy saying not to go" to the area.
She feels the Chinese authorities have made the right decision by shutting down the city, adding: "All we keep hearing is that the death toll is accelerating every day. All we can do really is sit tight and wait for more news.
"Although it is hard us being stuck here, we know that it is the safest possible option for us at the moment."
One British man, who had travelled to Wuhan to visit his girlfriend, is stuck in the city after his return flight on 3 February was cancelled, and he described trying to get out of the area as "impossible".
The 29-year-old, who did not want to be named, told the PA news agency: "There is no news on when the airport will reopen therefore the airline [China Southern] have just cancelled the flight.
"I've also had no help from the UK Embassy in Beijing who are conveniently closed for the weekend."
