Coronavirus news – live: Outbreak overtakes SARS for confirmed cases as Britons arriving from Wuhan to be quarantined for two weeks

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Stephen Barclay dodges Andrew Marr's coronavirus airlift question 4 times

Japan and the US have airlifted hundreds of their citizens from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan as the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak rose again to 132.

Some 201 US citizens were airlifted to southern California where they will remain under medical observation.

However the UK government has said it will not be launching an evacuation of its citizens anytime soon. It is understood China has not granted the necessary permissions to allow for the removal of British nationals on Thursday.

Confirmed cases of the virus also rose sharply to more than 6,000 on Wednesday, overtaking the 5,327 confirmed cases of SARS during the same time period in the 2002-2003 outbreak which killed more than 750 people in 17 countries worldwide.

Meanwhile the World Health Organisation (WHO) said it would reconvene officials to decide whether the outbreak constituted an emergency of international concern.

Here are the days events as they happened...

Key Points

• Hancock to chair emergency Cobra meeting on UK response
• More than 100 tested for virus in UK, all tests negative so far
• More than 6,000 confirmed cases in China, local media reports
• Evacuated Britons to be quarantined for 14 days on arrival to UK
• British Airways suspends all flights to mainland China
• UAE confirms first cases of coronavirus in Middle East

[29 January 2020 22:17 · Vincent Wood]

UK will no longer fly Britons out of virus-hit Wuhan on Thursday

A planned flight to bring British nationals in coronavirus-hit Wuhan back to the UK will not leave on Thursday as China has not yet granted Westminster permission to evacuate its citizens, the Independent understands.

Officials in Japan and the US have already advanced plans to bring home citizens struck at the epicentre of the virus in central China's Hubei province, the location of the majority of the 132 deaths caused by the disease.

However the UK’s foreign office has said hundreds thought to be stuck in the region will have to wait as the government seeks the correct permissions to allow for the evacuation of British citizens.

More below:

[29 January 2020 22:47 · Vincent Wood]

US in talks over further flight restrictions - Trump aide

The White House is considering further restrictions on US airlines flying to and from China in addition to voluntary restrictions that the companies have put into place, President Donald Trump's economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Wednesday.

Mr Kudlow said the matter was under discussion but declined to give further details.

He also said that officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were going to China to help with the coronavirus outbreak at China's invitation.

[29 January 2020 22:51 · Vincent Wood]

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