The US consulate reached out to Americans registered with the consulate and offered them seats on a flight, which will have medical personnel on board, according to a US official with knowledge of the matter.

There are about 1,000 Americans living in Wuhan and those who choose to evacuate with diplomats will be billed for the flight, the source said.

He disputed the Wall Street Journal's description that "any available seats might be offered to non-US citizens and diplomats of other nations," saying that non-US citizens would only be allowed to take the flight if they are related or married to Americans.

He added that other diplomats from countries such as South Korea and the United Kingdom are arranging their own transportation out of Wuhan.

He also said the WSJ description of the aircraft size was not entirely accurate as officials were still deciding between a narrow-body Boeing 737 and a wide-body Boeing 767.

Asked why the US is evacuating its diplomats and citizens from Wuhan while no such action was taken during the height of the SARS epidemic that hit China in 2003, this official said, "I think we all learned our lesson from SARS."

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