More than 80 Brits on an evacuation flight from the Chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak are due to land this afternoon before making their way to a hospital near Liverpool.

Fridges, TVs and washing machines can be seen being moved into Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, Merseyside, as preparations for the coronavirus quarantine begin, Liverpool Echo reports.

After several delays, the flight – chartered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) – left Wuhan at 9.45am local time on Friday, carrying 83 Britons and 27 non-UK nationals, mostly from EU countries.

The flight is expected to arrive at the Brize Norton RAF base in Oxfordshire around 1pm, the FCO said in a statement.

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Around 100 Brit evacuees will then make their way in convoy to Arrowe Park in Wirral, where they will spend the next two weeks.

The evacuation came after the UK's four chief medical officers raised the risk level of the illness from low to moderate and the World Health Organisation(WHO) declared an international public health emergency.

It was announced on Thursday that around 100 Brits would be transported to the accommodation at the Wirral hospital after being flown in from Wuhan in China.

One woman, whose relative is currently a patient at Arrow Park, told the Liverpool Echo: "New TVs arriving for the quarantined people.

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"They have also brought washing machines in."

Another man also said that he had seen fridges being unloaded off the back of a van and taken into the ground floor of the accommodation.

Janelle Holmes, chief executive of Wirral University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, sent a message to staff this evening.

It says: “Dear colleagues, You will be aware of the current situation in Wuhan City, China and the novel coronavirus outbreak.

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"While there are no confirmed cases in the UK, I am writing to you to inform you of some next steps.

"Around 100 British citizens will be travelling to the UK from China tomorrow.

"As a precaution they will remain in isolation for 14 days following their arrival in the UK.

"We will be welcoming and housing them in the accommodation block at Arrowe Park Hosptial.

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"Before arrival they will be screened for symptoms. If anyone becomes unwell after arrival they will be treated following appropriate protocols."

Chinese health officials said on Friday morning the death toll in the country from the virus had risen to 213, up from 170 a day earlier, with the number of known cases rising from 7,711 to 9,692.

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No deaths have occurred outside China, although 82 cases have been confirmed across 18 countries.

The WHO's announcement led Virgin Atlantic to suspend its flights between the UK and China for two weeks starting on Saturday.

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British Airways on Thursday extended its suspension of China flights until Monday.

The British 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 of 14 days.

"It's welcome news that our evacuation flight has now left Wuhan," Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.

"We know how distressing the situation has been for those waiting to leave. We have been working round the clock to clear the way for a safe departure. The welfare of those trapped and public safety have been our overriding priorities."

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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.

After British Airways extended its China flights suspension until Monday, Virgin Atlantic released a statement late on Thursday night saying its China services would cease for a fortnight after the arrival of its flight from Shanghai on Saturday.

"This decision has been made with the safety of customers and staff at the front of our minds," the airline said.

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.

• NHS
• World Health Organisation
• Coronavirus
• China

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