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Jonathan Walker

Newcastle University 'appalled' by reports of Chinese students being abused in city amid coronavirus fears

Harassment and discrimination aimed at Chinese students and academics in the region has been condemned by the Vice Chancellor of Newcastle University.

In a letter to staff and students, Professor Chris Day said: "The growing levels of anxiety about the spread of the coronavirus is giving rise to some behaviours that are unhelpful, and in some cases, deeply shocking."

Northumbria Police urged anyone who experiences racist abuse to contact them, but said there had been no significant increases in hate crime in the region.

It comes as the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak continues to rise with Chinese authorities reporting 490 victims and an increase in the number of cases to 24,324. There have been only two confirmed cases in the UK, and they are being treated at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Professor Day urged Newcastle University's staff and students to "come together to support our Chinese colleagues and students during this distressing time."

Ambulance crew members in protective gear wait for a patient outside an apartment block in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province (AP)

He said: "I have been appalled by some alarming reports on social media of racial incidents within the city aimed at our students. The city council and partners across the city are stepping up their response to this and anyone who experiences any kind of discriminatory behaviour should report it to the police."

Newcastle Central Labour MP Chi Onwurah said she was "really saddened" to hear reports of racial harassment of Chinese people". She said: "Newcastle is united against racism and discrimination ... racism is a deadly disease but fortunately it is not contagious."

Chief Inspector Alan Pitchford, of Northumbria Police, said: "We are aware of national reports of increases in hate crime against the Chinese community following the publicity of the Coronavirus.

"We have not had any significant increases in hate crime in our region but we have a positive relationship with our Chinese communities and remain in regular contact to offer them advice.

"If there are any reports that they have been verbally or physically abused because of their nationality then we will respond to that robustly and ensure victims have our support.

"Nobody should be targeted for who they are and we would encourage anyone who has fallen victim of a hate crime to get in touch with police so we can identify those responsible."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the two patients confirmed to have the virus in the UK remain in quarantine, while a Briton has tested negative after falling ill on a flight back from China.

He said the Government is "taking no chances" with British citizens at risk of coronavirus, as the Foreign Office scheduled its last evacuation flight from China.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday morning, Mr Hancock said the advice was a "science-led approach" based on the severity of the virus and its impact in China.

Asked how logistically Britons are expected to return to the UK, he told BBC Breakfast: "There are still commercial flights available. The principle that we are taking is that we want to take no chances with this virus."

Mr Hancock is due to chair a Cobra meeting on coronavirus on Wednesday afternoon.

On Tuesday, the Foreign Office urged all British nationals to leave China after the outbreak continued to claim lives. And on Tuesday evening, eight British nationals and their dependants left the virus-hit city of Wuhan on a flight to Auckland, New Zealand.

The PA news agency reports that 165 Britons and their dependants remain in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, while 108 people have requested assistance to leave as of the early hours of Wednesday.

A total of 94 UK nationals and family members have already been evacuated to Britain from Wuhan on two flights which arrived on Friday and Sunday.

The Department of Health said on Wednesday that 468 people in the UK have now tested negative for coronavirus.

The World Health Organisation said it is still early in the outbreak, but coronavirus does not yet constitute a pandemic.

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