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As many as eight flights at Heathrow Airport were said to have been caught up in delays or checks as a result of government health officials responding to coronavirus-related concerns over passengers feeling unwell.

United Airlines confirmed that staff in London had been providing assistance to a flight from San Francisco which had landed at Heathrow following reports of an individual becoming unwell onboard.

A man who had been on the flight said a passenger had been taken to the back of the plane ahead of the arrival of health officials before passengers were allowed to disembark after half-an-hour.

“There was an initial announcement that someone had taken ill and would be taken off,” said Andy West, a public relations executive at Hotwire, told the Guardian.

“Shortly afterwards he said that there was a suspected case of coronavirus and that the passenger had been isolated at the back of the plane.”