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British nationals who have been trapped at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in China have boarded their evacuation flight to return the UK.
Their plane was set to leave Wuhan, where the deadly illness is believed to have originated, at about 7am local time (11pm on Thursday night, UK time).
The flight, which will have military medics on board, will to land at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday and passengers will placed in quarantine for 14 days.
It is carrying about 150 Britons who had been stranded following the outbreak of the virus, which has sparked an international health emergency.
Wuhan, China: Coronavirus – In pictures
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Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty Images
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The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, is docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia after a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus on board, in Civitavecchia, Italy
Reuters
3/30
Empty racks where face masks are usually sold at a DIY store in west London. Pharmacies are working to boost stocks as demand for face masks in the UK appears to be on the rise amid fears about the coronavirus
PA
4/30
Workers produce masks at the Thai Hospital Product Company Ltd. factory in Bangkok
AFP via Getty Images
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People hoard bottles of alcohol after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Reuters
6/30
A man hoards the last few bottles of alcohol left in a pharmacy, after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Reuters
7/30
Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a woman’s temperature on the underground in Beijing
Getty Images
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An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city
AFP via Getty Images
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Passengers in the arrivals concourse at Heathrow Terminal 4, London, as the Government’s Cobra committee is meeting in Downing Street to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus
PA
10/30
Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
AP
11/30
An arrivals board showing a cancelled flight from Wuhan to Heathrow Terminal 4, London, as the Government’s Cobra committee is meeting in Downing Street to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus
PA
12/30
Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing
AP
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Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus
AFP via Getty Images
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Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China
AP
15/30
Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi
AP
16/30
Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city
Getty Images
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A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing
AFP via Getty Images
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Medical staff transfer a patient suspected of having the new coronavirus at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong
Reuters
19/30
Pedestrians wear face masks as they walk outside the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau
AFP via Getty Images
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A Chinese passenger checked for a fever by a health worker at a Beijing railway station
Getty Images
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An employee works to prevent a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea
AP
22/30
A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan
Reuters
23/30
Excavators at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province. – China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken hundreds of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo b
AFP via Getty Images
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An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea
AP
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Medical staff carry a box as they walk at the Jinyintan hospital
Reuters
26/30
CDC/Dr Fred Murphy
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that have a halo, or crown-like (corona) appearance when viewed under an electron microscope
CDC/Dr Fred Murphy
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The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan
Getty Images
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Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan
AP
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Masked workers disinfect a passenger throughfare at the Taoyuan International Airport
AFP via Getty Images
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A rescue worker walks past a notice about the virus that has broken out in China
Reuters
1/30
Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty Images
2/30
The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, is docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia after a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus on board, in Civitavecchia, Italy
Reuters
3/30
Empty racks where face masks are usually sold at a DIY store in west London. Pharmacies are working to boost stocks as demand for face masks in the UK appears to be on the rise amid fears about the coronavirus
PA
4/30
Workers produce masks at the Thai Hospital Product Company Ltd. factory in Bangkok
AFP via Getty Images
5/30
People hoard bottles of alcohol after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Reuters
6/30
A man hoards the last few bottles of alcohol left in a pharmacy, after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Reuters
7/30
Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a woman’s temperature on the underground in Beijing
Getty Images
8/30
An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city
AFP via Getty Images
9/30
Passengers in the arrivals concourse at Heathrow Terminal 4, London, as the Government’s Cobra committee is meeting in Downing Street to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus
PA
10/30
Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
AP
11/30
An arrivals board showing a cancelled flight from Wuhan to Heathrow Terminal 4, London, as the Government’s Cobra committee is meeting in Downing Street to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus
PA
12/30
Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing
AP
13/30
Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus
AFP via Getty Images
14/30
Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China
AP
15/30
Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi
AP
16/30
Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city
Getty Images
17/30
A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing
AFP via Getty Images
18/30
Medical staff transfer a patient suspected of having the new coronavirus at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong
Reuters
19/30
Pedestrians wear face masks as they walk outside the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau
AFP via Getty Images
20/30
A Chinese passenger checked for a fever by a health worker at a Beijing railway station
Getty Images
21/30
An employee works to prevent a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea
AP
22/30
A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan
Reuters
23/30
Excavators at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province. – China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken hundreds of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo b
AFP via Getty Images
24/30
An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea
AP
25/30
Medical staff carry a box as they walk at the Jinyintan hospital
Reuters
26/30
CDC/Dr Fred Murphy
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that have a halo, or crown-like (corona) appearance when viewed under an electron microscope
CDC/Dr Fred Murphy
27/30
The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan
Getty Images
28/30
Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan
AP
29/30
Masked workers disinfect a passenger throughfare at the Taoyuan International Airport
AFP via Getty Images
30/30
A rescue worker walks past a notice about the virus that has broken out in China
Reuters
Passengers posted images on their Instagram stories of themselves wearing masks as they arrived at Wuhan airport and then on board the rescue plane.
But the flight has reportedly been delayed to allow as many people to get to the airport as possible.
The UK’s four chief medical officers raised the risk level of the illness from low to moderate.
So far, the virus has caused 213 deaths, although there have been none outside of China. There have been 9,692 confirmed cases worldwide.
Upon their arrival at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire the passengers on the evacuation flight, who have mainly been in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province, will be taken to an NHS facility on the Wirral for a quarantine period.
Passengers wear protective masks as they walk he their luggagein the arrivals area at Beijing Capital Airport (Getty Images)
It is understood they will be taken to a former student accommodation block in the grounds of Arrowe Park Hospital, where passengers will have access to the internet in order to contact relatives.
Fifty foreigners, mainly from EU countries, will also be on the evacuation flight which will head to Spain afterwards.
On Thursday evening, WHO declared coronavirus as an international public health emergency due to fears of the virus spreading to countries with weaker health infrastructure.
The new virus has now infected more people in China than fell ill during the 2002-2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak.
As of Thursday, 161 people have tested negative for the virus in the UK and 124 people have recovered and have since been discharged from hospital in China.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he had been “working tirelessly” to get British citizens out of Wuhan, where the majority of coronavirus cases have been found.
A British man in Wuhan has said he is “losing faith” in the Government after he could not board an evacuation flight because it was unclear if he would be allowed to bring his young daughter.
Chris Hill, 38, chose not to board the flight back to the UK after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) could not say if four-year-old Renee would be allowed on board because she is a Chinese national.
The Chinese government does not recognise dual nationality, and it is thought that people with Chinese citizenship are unable to leave the affected area.
Mr Hill lives in Wuhan with his wife Caitlyn Gao and their daughter, who are both Chinese nationals.
He said: “When [the FCO] called me they said they would not be able to say if my family could go with me or not.
“I said ‘Oh OK so you cannot confirm in any way that they could travel with me’, and they said ‘We’re trying our best but we can’t guarantee anything,’ so I said ‘No, I’m not going’.
“The whole point of saying you can go to the airport and try is like going well, it may happen, it may not. So it means if you take your family to the airport, and then they turn around and say no, what would happen?
“With the current situation and the way the FCO is handling the diplomatic side of things, I’m just losing faith.”
The rescue flight was set to take off as Virgin Atlantic suspended its flights between Britain and China due to fears about the spread of the coronavirus.
The airline said in a statement it would suspend its daily operations between the UK and Shanghai for two weeks from Saturday.
It also follows British Airways’ decision to suspend flights to and from China, which is in place until at least Monday.
