More Britons due back from China as new public health drive launches
ELEVEN British citizens are due to arrive back from coronavirus-hit China to join 83 UK nationals who are in quarantine on Merseyside.
It comes as a man in the Philippines became the first person to die from the virus outside China.
It was revealed over the weekend that patients in Wales were being test for the disease for the first time, although authorities said there remained “currently no confirmed cases” here.
A University of York student and their relative remain the only two confirmed cases in the UK.
Yesterday, health authorities in Wales and across the UK launched a public health campaign advising people how to slow the spread of the virus.
Advertisements advising people to use tissues when sneezing or coughing and wash their hands regularly started appearing yesterday in newspapers, on the radio and on social media.
The ads will also target publications and forums in the UK known to be read by Chinese nationals here, the Department of Health said.
Dr Giri Shankar, professional lead consultant for health protection at Public Health Wales, said: “Public
Health Wales is working closely with the Welsh Government, other UK nations, the wider NHS in Wales, and others to monitor the situation closely now that we have confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the UK.
“It is likely that Wales will see cases of novel coronavirus, and we are reassuring the public that we are working with our partners in Wales and the UK, and have implemented our planned response. We are well prepared, with robust infection control measures in place to protect the health of the public.
“Members of the public can help protect themselves and others by always carrying tissues, and using them to catch coughs or sneezes. They should bin the tissue, and to kill the germs, wash their hands with soap and water, or use a sanitiser gel. This is the best way to slow the spread of most germs, including coronavirus.
“Anyone who has arrived back from China within 14 days should follow the specific advice for returning travellers.
“All Welsh residents that meet the current testing criteria for novel coronavirus are being offered testing. However, we are not able to comment on individual cases for reasons of patient confidentiality.
“The UK Department of Health and Social Care is confirming daily the numbers of patients who have tested negative or positive for coronavirus in the UK. Public Health Wales is not providing a commentary on the numbers of suspected cases, or on the numbers of people being screened, in Wales.
“There are currently no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Wales.”
England’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock said UK medics are working “round the clock” to prevent the spread of the illness, but added the general public can do its bit.
He said: “Basic hygiene such as washing our hands regularly and using tissues when we cough and sneeze can play an important role in minimising the spread of viruses like this.”
The second group of British evacuees boarded a French flight and will also be brought to Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral where they will spend 14 days in quarantine, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.
He told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday: “It’s correct that there is a further French flight that is expected back in Europe today and that will carry some UK nationals.”
Mr Raab later confirmed 11 British nationals would be returning and said the Government is doing all it can to help Britons in Wuhan leave if they want to.
Appearing on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, he said: “We’ll do everything we can to make sure that those that still want to leave, we give them the opportunity to do so,” he said.
He added: “The challenge that we’ve got, and the Chinese have got frankly, is to contain the virus but also then to lift out people that want to come back home, and we’re doing that as sensitively and as effectively as we can.”
The latest repatriation comes as the Government launched a public health campaign advising people how to slow the spread of the virus.
The Foreign Office, which has withdrawn some staff from China and closed the British ConsulateGeneral in Wuhan, said it is continuing to work with EU countries to add remaining Britons to any rescue flights they may charter back from Wuhan.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office (FCO) said: “The Government is in touch with British nationals who remain in Wuhan, and are doing everything we can to bring them home as safely and quickly as possible.”
The death toll has risen above 300