Coronavirus: Hotel in York confirms two UK victims were guests

A York hotel has confirmed two of its guests have tested positive for coronavirus.

The pair, who were at the Staycity Aparthotels York, are being treated by Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Staycity Group said the property is still open for business as Public Health England assured them there is a 'minimal risk' of infection to staff and guests.

They are currently in the trust's specialist Airborne High Consequences Infectious Disease Centre (HCID).

It is understood that they travelled to the UK from China recently and are undergoing treatment at the Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary.

A spokesman for Staycity Group told Mirror Online: "We have now received confirmation that two guests staying in one of our apartments in York have been tested positive for the coronavirus.

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"We have been advised by Public Health England that there is minimal ongoing risk of infection to either guests or staff, and as such our York property remains open for business.

"The apartment concerned will undergo a thorough environmental clean and disinfection by a specialist contractor.

"We would like to reassure all our guests that we are following official advice on this matter and that the health and safety of everyone working and staying in our properties remains of paramount importance to us.

"We would like to wish the two guests concerned a speedy and full recovery."

Professor Sharon Peacock, director of the National Infection Service at Public Health England, said PHE is contacting people who had close contact with the pair.

She added: "The two cases were staying in York when they became unwell.

"Close contacts will be given health advice about symptoms and emergency contact details to use if they become unwell in the 14 days after contact with the confirmed cases.

"This tried-and-tested method will ensure we are able to minimise any risk to them and the wider public."

Earlier, Professor Peacock said that while staff are working to trace people who have been in contact with the pair, they do not currently have "any idea" of how high that number might be.

On Wednesday night, the StayCity apartment-hotel in York was put on lockdown when some family members, believed to be Chinese nationals, were taken to hospital after falling ill.

It comes after more than 80 Britons on an evacuation flight from the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak landed back in the UK.

The flight, carrying 83 Britons and 27 non-UK nationals, mostly from EU countries, arrived at the Brize Norton RAF base in Oxfordshire at around 1.30pm.

The UK passengers are being taken to Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral for a quarantine period of 14 days, where they will be housed in an NHS staff accommodation block with access to the internet.

Ministers said the Government will send another plane to coronavirus-hit Wuhan to rescue British citizens if needed.

Families had been told that relatives with Chinese passports would be unable to join them after Chinese officials denied them permission to leave the country.

That decision was reversed hours before the plane was due to depart, but some people did not have time to get to the airport.

The PA news agency understands that the Foreign Office (FCO) is working with EU countries to add British passengers to any rescue flights they may charter back from Wuhan.

The evacuation flight came after the UK's four chief medical officers raised the risk level of the illness from low to moderate and the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared an international public health emergency.

Chinese health officials said on Friday morning that the death toll in the country from the virus had risen to 213, with the number of known cases rising from 7,711 to 9,962.

No deaths have occurred outside China, although cases have been confirmed across at least 23 countries.

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed that of the Sars epidemic, although death rates are lower.

Many other countries, including Australia, South Korea, Singapore and New Zealand, have said they plan to quarantine evacuees for two weeks to avoid spread of the virus.

We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.