Hunt for the 2,000 who flew into UK from infected city in past two weeks
GOVERNMENT officials were last night searching for some 2,000 people who flew from Wuhan to the UK over the past fortnight.
The Department of Health and the Border Force were scrambling to track down those who might not have shown any symptoms when they landed, but could still have been carrying the coronavirus.
There are usually three flights a week from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, meaning up to 2,500 passengers and crew arrived over the two-week period, though some will have already left the country.
Flights from Wuhan are currently suspended, but a team of medics was yesterday dispatched to Heathrow to meet passengers arriving from other parts of the country.
Those awaiting loved ones were confronted with signs providing details of the dangers of coronavirus and symptoms to look out for.
Meanwhile, public health officials installed a ‘public health hub’ on the airside part of Heathrow, with teams of seven medical staff working in shifts to identify any potential carriers. Similar hubs have not been set up at other UK airports such as Gatwick and Manchester, even though they also receive flights from China.
A Public Health England spokesman said: ‘We’ve established a hub at Heathrow as this has the most direct flights from China. As part of a precautionary approach, leaflets and information will be made available across UK airports, advising travellers from China on what do to if they feel unwell.’
Travellers getting on planes across Asia are now being quizzed about the locations that they had recently visited, with officials looking out for any trips to Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province. Passengers also had their temperatures taken before they boarded flights. One passenger, who gave her name as Fen, said those flying from the city of Guangzhou, 600 miles from Wuhan, had been told to tell immigration officials if they had any potential symptoms.
‘The checks were done when we were taking off,’ she said. ‘We were told about what to expect at London, but as far as I know no one on the flight was ill. Guangzhou is a long way from Wuhan.’
Another traveller, who arrived at Heathrow on an Air China flight from Beijing, said: ‘They checked our temperature when we got on the plane, but when we arrived in London, nothing.’ Meulin Ha, who flew to Heathrow from Shanghai, saw no discernible difference from previous trips. Shanghai is about 500 miles from Wuhan and Beijing is 700 miles away.
When asked why no tests had been carried out on those arriving from Wuhan before flights were suspended, Professor Chris Whitty, England’s Chief Medical Officer, said experts had decided that ‘screening would not provide any appreciable increase in benefit for the UK public’.
‘As we boarded, they checked our temperature’