The British government is urgently pressing Beijing to allow dual nationals to leave China after public outcry over families being split up during the coronavirus evacuations.

Only British passport holders who do not also hold Chinese nationality are being allowed to leave. The British embassy in Beijing is urging the Chinese to let dependents of British nationals and British-Chinese dual nationals leave too.

“Our priority is to keep British nationals and their family members together and we have urgently raised this with the Chinese authorities,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, raised the issue of dual nationals with his Chinese counterpart on Tuesday, but the Chinese government has maintained its stance.

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.

Families have spoken out about the prospect of being split up during the evacuation process. Sindy Siddle travelled with her husband, Jeff, and nine-year-old daughter, Jasmine, to Hubei province to spend the lunar new year with her family. The family, from Prudhoe, Northumberland, are now facing their “worst nightmare” as Sindy has been told she will not be allowed on the evacuation flight as she has a Chinese passport.

Jeff Siddle said: “Having to leave Sindy in China would be the worst thing that anyone could be put through. How am I going to tell Jasmine that her mum has to stay behind?”

Natalie Francis, 31, a teacher from York, was told that her three-year-old son, who has a Chinese passport, would not be allowed to leave.

Chinese authorities have imposed the same restrictions on other countries evacuating citizens out of the country, including the US. China does not recognise dual nationality, meaning any citizen who wants to get a passport from another country is supposed to give up their Chinese one.

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Many people unofficially hold two passports by acquiring a second nationality without informing the Chinese authorities. But in recent years, driven partly by an anti-corruption campaign, there have been greater official efforts to crack down on dual nationals.

Official advice from the UK’s Foreign Office says: “If you are British and Chinese, you are likely to be regarded by the Chinese authorities as a Chinese citizen, even if you travel to China on a British passport. If you enter China on a Chinese passport, we may not be able to help you if you have a problem.”

Along with the US, Japan also began evacuating citizens out of the region on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, British Airways has suspended all flights to and from mainland China. Some other commercial airlines are still operating out of airports in the country, but with Hubei province in lockdown, people in that area have no option for leaving other than evacuation flights.

UK officials have confirmed that evacuated Britons will be placed in quarantine for 14 days upon their return.