Public health officials have teamed up with Border Force to trace 2,000 airline passengers who flew into Britain from Wuhan, China, in the past fortnight, to check if they are suffering symptoms of coronavirus.

In a significant escalation of measures to prevent the deadly virus from spreading in the UK, the government said it would be tracking down those who could have been in the incubation period when they landed, but may have appeared symptomless.

Flights from Wuhan are currently suspended, but following a meeting of the government's emergency committee, Cobra, the Chief Medical Officer Prof Chris Witty announced that a Public Health hub of seven clinicians will now be established at Heathrow to monitor people coming from other parts of China.

The official death toll in China has now risen to 56, with more than 1,975 confirmed cases. One of those killed was a doctor in China's Hubei province.

So far, 14 people tested for coronavirus in Britain have been given the all-clear but checks are still ongoing on ‘a handful’ of new cases, and an expert at Public Health England (PHE) said it was ‘highly likely’ the virus would reach the UK.