Travellers from coronavirus-hit region of China to be separated at Heathrow

Passengers flying into Heathrow from China will be SEPARATED from other travellers on arrival amid fears killer SARS-like coronavirus will spread to the UK

  • ‘Separate area’ at Heathrow will screen travellers arriving from affected regions 
  • British officials say that the outbreak across Asia is constantly under review 
  • Nine patients have died from the coronavirus, which has infected 453 people 

Travellers from the area of China at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak will be separated from other passengers and screened on arrival at Heathrow Airport.

British officials say that the situation is constantly under review but no plans exist to screen arrivals from China at other UK airports. 

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said Public Health England is putting in place new precautions in relation to travellers to the UK from the region.

PHE has upgraded the risk to the UK population who go to Wuhan from very low to low, the transport secretary said.

It comes as the US has recorded its first case of the never-before-seen virus, which has killed nine people and sickened 455.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is expected to declare the outbreak a public health emergency in a meeting in Geneva this afternoon.

Travellers from the area of China at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak will be separated from other passengers on arrival at Heathrow Airport as UK health chiefs step up their response

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said Public Health England is putting in place new precautions in relation to travellers to the UK from the region

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said Public Health England is putting in place new precautions in relation to travellers to the UK from the region

Mr Shapps told Sky News a ‘separate area’ at Heathrow will screen travellers arriving from affected regions at the centre of the outbreak.

He did not specify which region this was. However, it is likely to be Hubei province, where the majority of the cases and all of the deaths have occurred. 

Chinese officials have urged travellers not to go to Wuhan, and have asked residents to avoid crowds and public gatherings to contain the virus. 

Mr Shapps said: ‘There have been some announcements this morning about flights that come direct from the affected region to Heathrow with some additional measures there.

‘Obviously we want to stay ahead of the issue so we are keeping a very close eye on it.

‘Initially this is to ensure that when flights come in directly into Heathrow there is a separate area for people to arrive in.’ 

Mr Shapps told BBC Radio 5 Live Health Secretary Matt Hancock will announce a package of precautionary measures later.

Though not confirmed, a Government source has reportedly told the BBC the measures will include:

  • Medics meeting each direct flight landing at Heathrow from Wuhan 
  • Aircraft announcements will tell passengers to report if they are ill before landing 
  • Planes will land in an isolated area of Heathrow Terminal 4   

Heathrow’s press office told MailOnline it was waiting for further information from Public Health England before issuing a comment.  

An American man with the new coronavirus has been identified in Washington state, CDC officials said on Wednesday, bringing the total number of countries with cases of the deadly virus to five outside of China, including the US, Thailand, Japan South Korea and Taiwan 

Thai medical staff wear protective suits transfer a 70-year-old patient, who is suspected of having coronavirus infected after traveling back from Wuhan

Thai medical staff wear protective suits transfer a 70-year-old patient, who is suspected of having coronavirus infected after traveling back from Wuhan

A child wears a face mask at Hong Kong's international airport

A child wears a face mask at Hong Kong’s international airport

MailOnline has approached Public Health England for further information. The body said it would release an update later today. 

London is connected to Wuhan by three direct flights per week. Almost every other city on Earth is a maximum of 18 hours away.

The Foreign Office has updated its advice for Britons travelling to China, warning the virus had spread to other areas outside the Hubei province.

The illness comes from a new coronavirus, not been previously identified in humans.

Chinese health officials have confirmed it has spread between humans, warning that it may mutate to become even deadlier. 

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from a cold to more severe diseases such as SARS.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THIS OUTBREAK SO FAR? 

A total of 455 people are confirmed to have caught the unnamed coronavirus, which has never been seen before. Six patients have died.

Most of the cases have occurred in Wuhan, a city in Hubei province home to 11million people. But patients have been diagnosed across China, including in Beijing and Shanghai.

The coronavirus, which is from the same family as SARS, has also spread to South Korea, Thailand, Japan and Taiwan.

Chinese officials yesterday confirmed the virus has spread between humans, suggesting it can be passed through coughs and sneezes.

The outbreak is believed to have started late last month among people connected to a seafood market in Wuhan, which has since been shut.

China is entering its busiest travel period due to the Lunar New Year, which sees many people travelling back to their home town or village.

Virologists fear the increased travel that will happen over the holidays will cause a surge in cases.

So where have cases been recorded?

IN CHINA

Hubei province, 375 cases, 9 deaths

Guangdong province, 26 cases

Chongqing province, 5 cases 

Zhejiang province, 5 cases

Hainan province, 4 cases

Jiangxi, 2 cases 

Henan province, 1 case

Hunan province, 1 case

Yunnan province, 1 case 

Fujian province, 1 case 

Sichuan province, 2 cases 

Shandong province, 1 case 

Shanghai, 9 cases

Beijing, 10 cases

Tianjin, 2 cases 

Macau, 1 case 

Hong Kong, 1 case 

— 

ABROAD

Thailand, 4 cases

South Korea, 1 case

Japan, 1 case

Taiwan, 1 case

US, 1 case 



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