Coronavirus: Heathrow airport creates separate arrival area for passengers arriving from Wuhan

World Health Organization expected to declare international public health emergency

New measures are being introduced to prevent the introduction of coronavirus into the UK, with “enhanced monitoring” in place for all direct flights from Wuhan.

Public Health England has announced that all such flights will be met by a health team to provide advice and support to those that feel unwell. The team will check for symptoms of coronavirus and provide information to all passengers about symptoms, and what to do if they become ill.

There will also be a separate, isolated area set up in Terminal 4 for passengers arriving into Heathrow airport from Wuhan.

The city in eastern China is where the virus, which has claimed nine lives at the time of writing, first originated.

Hundreds of people have been infected, and cases have been detected in Seattle, Washington, as well as Japan, Thailand and South Korea.

“There have been some announcements this morning about flights that come direct from the affected region to Heathrow with some additional measures there,” transport secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News.

“At the moment Public Health England have moved [the risk level] from ‘very low’ to ‘low’ but 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.”

Three direct flights a week currently arrive at Heathrow from Wuhan.

Further directives from Public Health England include that inflight announcements are made encouraging passengers to report if they feel unwell, and that leaflets and information are made available across all UK airports, advising travellers from China on what do to if they experience symptoms of the virus.

Dr Nick Phin, deputy director of the National Infection Service, Public Health England, said: “This is a new and rapidly evolving situation where information on cases and the virus is being gathered and assessed daily. Based on the available evidence, the current risk to the UK is considered low. We are working with the WHO and other international partners, have issued advice to the NHS and are keeping the situation under constant review.

“If you are travelling to Wuhan, you should maintain good hand, respiratory and personal hygiene and should avoid visiting animal and bird markets or people who are ill with respiratory symptoms. Individuals should seek medical attention if they develop respiratory symptoms within 14 days of visiting Wuhan, either in China or on their return to the UK. They should phone ahead before attending any health services and mention their recent travel to the city.”

A Heathrow Airport spokesperson told The Independent: “The welfare of our passengers and colleagues is always our main priority and we are working with the Government to support the implementation of enhanced monitoring measures as a precaution. We would like to reassure passengers that the Government assesses the risk of a traveller contracting coronavirus to be low. We would encourage anyone with individual questions or concerns to refer to guidance from Public Health England and the Foreign Office.”

No cases have so far been recorded in the UK.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is also holding an emergency meeting today to decide whether or not coronavirus should be declared a global public health emergency.

With millions of people on the move for Chinese New Year on 25 January, the WHO predicts many more cases of the virus will occur.

Typically coronavirus causes a runny nose, cough, sore throat, headache, fever and what the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) calls “a general feeling of being unwell”.

But coronaviruses can cause lower-respiratory tract illnesses, notably pneumonia, especially among very young or old people and those with weakened immune systems or existing cardiopulmonary disease.