British Wuhan evacuees arrive back in UK as first coronavirus case is confirmed

Britons rescued from the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus crisis have landed safely in the UK and now face a two-week quarantine.

Eighty-three British people and 27 foreign nationals arrived at RAF Brize Norton at 1.30pm on Friday, hours after the first two cases of coronavirus were confirmed in England.

They will now be transported by bus to Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, Merseyside to be placed in quarantine for 14 days.

Not all Britons who wanted to leave Wuhan were on the FCO-chartered Boeing 747 jet, with some finding it ‘impossible’ to make it to the airport on time after the Foreign Office gave them two hours notice.

The plane hit the tarmac after the death toll in China rose to 213 with 9,692 cases of the virus confirmed across the country.

NHS staff were pictured preparing for their arrival, with several ambulances and seven coaches lining the roads this morning.

Before the evacuation flight left Wuhan at 9.45am local time on Friday, passengers were told they had to sign a contract agreeing to isolation and undergo temperature checks before they could board.

Officials have revealed they will now be housed in an NHS staff accommodation block with access to the internet.

Anyone with suspicious symptoms will be taken to the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospital.

But as the World Health Organisation (WHO) declares the coronavirus a global health emergency, some British people remain stuck in Wuhan.

Families were initially told that relatives with Chinese passports could not come home with them after Chinese officials denied them permission to leave the country.

This decision was reversed just hours before the jet was due to depart, spurring a mad rush to get to the airport in time.

Briton Adam Bridgeman, along with his Chinese wife and their four-week-old son, is among those who got left behind.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the new dad said his family could not find a car to take them to the airport.

The Foreign Office sent a vehicle, but by the time it arrived, they had only 15 minutes to make the journey.

A British teacher, who asked not to be named, claimed she also missed the flight after the Foreign Office failed to tell her British expats could bring their spouses.

Mr Bridgeman said the FCO has told him his family may be able to leave the city on another flight.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told Sky News on Friday that another plane would be sent if necessary.

He added: ‘The flight which is the air at the moment is not the end of our efforts.

‘It is only one part that we are doing in order to keep people safe.

‘We will do everything we can to ensure that every UK citizen, every UK national, every member of their family is contacted, supported.’

No deaths have occurred outside China, although 82 cases have been confirmed across 18 countries.

Following the WHO announcement, British medical officers increased the risk level in the UK from ‘low’ to ‘moderate’.

The Department of Health has declined to say where in England the patients who have tested positive for the virus are from, but it is understood they are being treated at a hospital in Newcastle.

In a statement, Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Chris Whitty said: ‘The patients are receiving specialist NHS care, and we are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus.

‘The NHS is extremely well-prepared and used to managing infections and we are already working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients had, to prevent further spread.

‘We have been preparing for UK cases of novel coronavirus and we have robust infection control measures in place to respond immediately.

‘We are continuing to work closely with the World Health Organization and the international community as the outbreak in China develops to ensure we are ready for all eventualities.’