The death toll from the coronavirus spreading across China has risen to at least 106, as the United States and other countries prepared to fly their citizens out of the locked-down city at the centre of the outbreak.
Some 17 cities with more than 50 million people have been placed on lockdown, as the number of cases surged to 4,515 on Monday from 2,835 the previous day. Cases have also been confirmed in Germany, the United States, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal, France, Canada, Australia and Sri Lanka.
British ministers have said they are working to get Britons out of Hubei province in China, with Boris Johnson insisting the government is doing “everything we can”.
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Face masks 'unnecessary' in US
The US health secretary has said the use of face masks in the States to guard against coronavirus is unnecessary because the risk to individuals is currently very low.
'Nothing off the table on China travel restrictions', says US health secretary
Nothing is off the table in terms of possible travel restrictions for China as the US considers taking new steps to counter the coronavirus outbreak, the US health secretary has said.
The US, which so far has five confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, has urged Americans to reconsider travel plans to China because of the outbreak.
It also warned specifically against travel to the Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak.
Alex Azar, secretary of health and human services, told reporters he had offered to send a team of US infectious disease experts to China to assist with its public health efforts and urged them to be more transparent.
He added: "Beyond that, all options for dealing with infectious disease spread have to be on the table, including travel restrictions.
The World Health Organisation today said China had agreed it could send international experts "as soon as possible".
Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to mainland China
The Foreign Office has updated its advice to warn against all but essential travel to mainland China following the coronavirus outbreak.
The foreign travel advice for China on the gov.uk website has been updated to say: "The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to Hubei province due to the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak.
"If you're in this area and able to leave, you should do so.
"The FCO advise against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China (not including Hong Kong and Macao).
"The Chinese government continue to impose further restrictions on movement within China in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
"It may become harder over the coming weeks for those who wish to leave China to do so.
"If you feel that you may want to leave China soon, you should consider making plans to do so before any further restrictions may be imposed."
The Foreign Office has yet to confirm any details of how and when they will be evacuated, however a British teacher living in Wuhan has revealed UK citizens are being given details of forthcoming flights.
Coronavirus: Hundreds of Britons trapped in Wuhan ‘to be flown home on Thursday
US expands screening of passengers from China to 20 airports
The US is expanding screenings of travellers from China to 20 airports, from five, the director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has said.
France confirms fourth coronavirus case
France has confirmed its fourth coronavirus case.
France has confirmed its fourth coronavirus case.
The patient is said to be a Chinese tourist who is in a serious condition in a Paris hospital.
European Commission co-funding two planes to evacuate EU citizens
The European Commission has said it will start helping to repatriate Europeans from the coronavirus-hit Chinese region of Hubei following a request from France.
It said it will co-fund two planes to bring EU citizens back from Wuhan after activating its EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
France had requested assistance to provide consular support to EU citizens in Wuhan.
The Commission said in a statement: "This is a first request for assistance and others may follow in the coming days.”
Coronavirus costing British tourism £35m
The damage to inbound British tourism caused by coronavirus is currently £35m, according to Tom Jenkins, chief executive of the European Tourism Association.
He said: “Fear, especially combined with government travel bans, is a powerful deterrent to tourism.”
Mr Jenkins added that around 20,000 Chinese tourists had cancelled their trips.
"It is probable that these clients are deferring their visit,” he said. “There is no indication that they are permanently erasing their intentions to come here.
“We should expect a subsequent surge in bookings when the scare is over.
“The impact of Sars was substantial in 2002-3, but the recovery was robust within five months.”
British citizens in Hubei province 'could be flown home by Thursday'
Britons in the coronavirus-hit Chinese province of Hubei are expected to be flown home as early as Thursday.
The Foreign Office has yet to confirm details, but a British teacher living in the city of Wuhan said UK citizens were being given details of forthcoming flights.
Those stuck in Wuhan and surrounding areas have been urged to contact the British consulate before 11am on Wednesday if they wish to leave.
The British embassy in Beijing has said transport to get UK citizens out "may happen quickly and with short notice".
PA
WHO emergency committee can reconvene 'on very short notice'
The World Health Organisation has said it can reconvene its emergency committee on coronavirus "on very short noticed as needed".
It added that its members are on stand-by and are being informed of developments.
US discusses China travel restrictions
The White House is considering imposing travel restrictions on China, CNBC has reported, citing sources.
Medics in hazmat suits quarantine Birmingham man
A man in Birmingham has been put into isolation after returning from China with flu-like symptoms last month.
Medics in hazmat suits were seen arriving at a house in the city before taking a man wearing a face mask away in the back of an ambulance.
The man is said to be 39-year-old Drew Bennett who returned from Wuhan on 31 December.
He reportedly thought he had a serious case of flu when he returned from visiting the city but his symptoms gradually got better, BirminghamLive reports.
He is currently in isolation in hospital awaiting the results of blood tests.
African students trapped in Wuhan have described what it is like being on lockdown:
Students under lockdown in Wuhan amid coronavirus outbreak given no chance of escape
Evacuation not an option for some in city that spawned the coronavirusA Chinese woman suffering from the coronavirus has given birth to a baby boy.
Zhao Yin, deputy director at the obstetrics and gynaecology department, wore two protective suits, goggles and a face mask while carrying out the hour-long caesarean section operation.
Chinese coronavirus patient gives birth to baby by caesarean
Doctor wears protective suits, mask and goggles to deliver boy in WuhanTaiwan reported its first case of domestic transmission of the new coronavirus on Tuesday and raised its travel warning for China, saying people should avoid going unless absolutely necessary following the outbreak of the virus there.
Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Centre said the latest patient, the eighth, was the first case of transmission on the island as in all the previous cases the people had been infected first in China.
The new patient, a man in his 50s from central Taiwan, was infected by his wife after she returned from working in China and before she was subsequently diagnosed, the command centre said. The man is in a stable condition, it said.
Separately, the command centre said it would extend to the rest of China an earlier warning not to go to Hubei province unless totally necessary, though Hong Kong and Macau are excluded. Taiwan has also restricted the vast majority of Chinese visitors.
India and Bangladesh have said they are working on evacuating their citizens from Wuhan in China.
Indian state airline Air India was on standby to evacuate an estimated 250 Indians from Wuhan in Hubei province, local media reported earlier.
"We have begun the process to prepare for evacuation of Indian nationals affected by the situation arising out of Corona-2019 virus outbreak in Hubei Province, China," Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet.
He said Indian authorities were working out the logistics of moving people out of the city of 11 million people that is under a lockdown.
In Bangladesh, Foreign Minister Abdul Momen said talks were underway to bring back Bangladeshi citizens from China.
More than 90 people tested for coronavirus in UK
A total of 97 people have been tested for coronavirus in the UK and all have been confirmed negative, the Department of Health has said. More follows…Ninety-seven tests for the coronavirus have now been carried out in the UK, the Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed.
All 97 came back negative - meaning there are still no confirmed cases of the illness in the UK.
A British citizen stuck in Wuhan, China, has said he is too afraid to leave his flat for fear of infecting his nine-month-old daughter with the deadly coronavirus.
The 22-year-old from Manchester, who asked to remain anonymous, told the PA news agency: "My wife is staying positive but inside I can tell she's worried, we both are. We know that if our baby got sick she wouldn't make it and that's a horrible, dreadful feeling."
Neither of them have been diagnosed with the illness but fear coming into contact with anyone who may carry the deadly strain.
The family have not left their flat for a week, and are now rationing food to get through the outbreak.
He said: "The flat bit isn't that bad, it's more the paranoia every time I go out in the corridor to empty bins or something like that.
"My wife's family gave us a lot of leftover meat and vegetables from the New Year's dinner we had. We think that will last us a few more weeks."
Professor Yvonne Doyle of PHE said the first UK case is likely to come from somebody already in the country.
In an interview with Sky News, she said: "Our view is that, although airports are important, the most likely place that we might find a case is somebody in the country already, and it's absolutely critical that the public health service and the NHS are ready to diagnose that and are able to designate the person to the right facilities.
"That's the most likely scenario we are dealing with."
Asked if there could be cases already in Britain, she said: "I would expect so."
Some 73 people have been tested for coronavirus in the UK, though all tests have come back negative.
