UK citizens should leave ‘if they can’ to reduce risk of exposure to virus, says foreign secretary

All 30,000 British nationals in China have been urged to leave the country “if they can” because of the coronavirus outbreak, in a surprise move that prompted criticism that the UK government has left its citizens to fend for themselves.

In a further sign of mounting international concern about the spread of the coronavirus, the Foreign Office also recommended a ban on Britons travelling to China.

This was partly due to concerns that the Chinese government is struggling to control the spread of the virus, but also because of the dwindling number of British officials who remain in the country.

Some Britons in China said the advice had left them baffled and concerned. One told the Guardian: “For many of us this has put us in an impossible position. It’s all a bit of a shocker really.”

The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said in a statement: “We now advise British nationals in China to leave the country if they can, to minimise their risk of exposure to the virus. ”

On Tuesday night he confirmed that the Foreign Office would charter another flight on Sunday to help people out of Wuhan, the city at the centre of the outbreak.

Quick guide What are coronavirus symptoms and should I go to a doctor? Show Hide What is Covid-19? Covid-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a pandemic. What are the symptoms this coronavirus causes? According to the WHO, the most common symptoms of Covid-19 are fever, tiredness and a dry cough. Some patients may also have a runny nose, sore throat, nasal congestion and aches and pains or diarrhoea. Some people report losing their sense of taste and/or smell. About 80% of people who get Covid-19 experience a mild case – about as serious as a regular cold – and recover without needing any special treatment. About one in six people, the WHO says, become seriously ill. The elderly and people with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, or chronic respiratory conditions, are at a greater risk of serious illness from Covid-19. In the UK, the National health Service (NHS) has identified the specific symptoms to look for as experiencing either: a high temperature - you feel hot to touch on your chest or back

a new continuous cough - this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use. The antiviral drugs we have against flu will not work, and there is currently no vaccine. Recovery depends on the strength of the immune system. Should I go to the doctor if I have a cough? Medical advice varies around the world - with many countries imposing travel bans and lockdowns to try and prevent the spread of the virus. In many place people are being told to stay at home rather than visit a doctor of hospital in person. Check with your local authorities. In the UK, NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days. If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home.

The shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, earlier accused the government of abandoning Britons. “From the very start of this outbreak, the government’s response has been a total shambles, and now they appear to be telling British nationals in China simply to fend for themselves in terms of getting out of the country,” she said.

“How on earth has the Foreign Office not got plans and protocols in place for how these crises are managed. The first duty of any government is to protect its citizens, at home and abroad, and Boris Johnson is manifestly failing to do that.”



Robin Mitchell, a 38-year-old lecturer in Xiamen, Fujian province, who has a six-year-old daughter with his Chinese partner, described the news as “about as far from reassuring as possible”.

He said: “For most expats, leaving China is not like cutting a holiday short. We have jobs, houses, pets and, most importantly of all, family here. I, and presumably hundreds or possibly thousands like me, have a child with a Chinese partner, which complicates matters even further as visa applications take months.

“Since the outbreak the consulate has not made any attempt to contact any expat I know and appears to have completely jumped ship.”

Downing Street said British nationals who wanted to return from China should follow the advice and precautions of the commercial airlines they flew on in relation to the coronavirus.

“Where British nationals can leave the country they should do so, given the risk that travel restrictions may increase,” the prime minister’s official spokesperson said.

More than 400 people have now died in the outbreak, and China has increased the number of cities on lockdown. The country’s leadership admitted “shortcomings” in its handling of the virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency, with at least 151 cases in 23 other countries and regions. There have been 20,000 cases in China.

So far two people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK. The patients, who are members of the same family and believed to be Chinese nationals, are receiving specialist care at the Airborne High Consequence Infectious Diseases Centre in Newcastle’s Royal Victoria infirmary.

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said he expected further cases as the global community worked to stop the rapid spread of the virus. Speaking before a meeting on Tuesday with his German counterpart, Jens Spahn, Hancock said the UK was working with other countries to research a vaccine.

“We haven’t seen the peak of the coronavirus by a long stretch and we expect more cases in the UK,” Hancock said.

Spahn said it was important that the UK and EU continue to cooperate, regardless of their future relationship. He said: “The virus obviously knows no borders and is a threat to all our citizens. What’s important for the international community is to join forces when it comes to research, when it comes to detecting the virus and combating it.”

China’s national mortality rate from coronavirus is running at 2.1%, while in Hubei province, which accounts for 97% of all fatalities, the rate is 3%. China’s national health commission said 80% of deaths were among people over the age of 60, and 75% had underlying conditions.

Tens of thousands of British nationals in China work across professions from business and consultancy to academia and medicine. They include executives at international companies and entrepreneurs who have set up their own companies in the country, teachers at prestigious international schools and English-language teachers at Chinese schools.

There are also academics, journalistsand doctors working at international hospitals, many language students and some university students studying at Chinese institutions. If they want to leave, many will have to break contracts, leave behind businesses, abandon studies and take children out of school.

Any exodus would have inevitable knock-on effects for Chinese citizens who work for or with British nationals, take classes from them or rely on them for medical care or other services.