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Wuhan repatriation flight lands back in Britain
LONDON, Feb 9, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – A second and final flight repatriating
British nationals from Wuhan in China, epicentre of the deadly novel
coronavirus outbreak, landed on Sunday with more than 200 people on board.
The chartered civilian aircraft left the capital of central Hubei province
and arrived at the Brize Norton airbase in Oxfordshire, southern England.
Medics and Foreign Office officials were on board to provide support if
necessary.
“Our final flight from Wuhan took off at 3:20am (1920 GMT Saturday) with
over 200 passengers on board, including our staff who have facilitated the
flight and medics,” a Foreign Office spokeswoman said.
“Alongside British nationals, there are other nationalities on board.”
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the flight had brought back 105
British nationals and family members, as well as 95 European nationals and
family members.
French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said Friday that 38 French citizens
were due to be among the European nationals on the flight.
A total of 13 staff and medics were also on board. Passengers were being
taken by coach to a hotel and conference centre in Milton Keynes, northwest
of London, where they will be quarantined for 14 days.
Britain has advised all its 30,000 nationals in China to leave.
Some 83 British citizens returned from Wuhan on a UK government-chartered
flight to Brize Norton on January 31.
They were then sent into two weeks’ isolation at a medical facility in
northwest England.
The death toll from the novel coronavirus surged past 800 in mainland
China on Sunday, overtaking global fatalities in the 2002-03 SARS epidemic,
even as the World Health Organization said the outbreak appeared to be
stabilising.
With 89 more people dying — most in Hubei — the toll is now higher than
the 774 killed worldwide by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, according to
official figures.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1720 hrs