Coronavirus live updates: ‘compulsory quarantine’ on all arrivals to Hong Kong from mainland China – latest news | World news

The Department of Health said 468 people in the UK have now tested negative for coronavirus, according to a report by PA Media.

All the 1,500 people who arrived on direct flights from Wuhan in January have either left the UK or are now outside the 14-day incubation period for the virus.

Rachael Maskell, the MP for York Central, has criticised the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.

York Press reports that Maskell called on the Government to ‘get a grip’ after it emerged that the York student with coronavirus spent a night in student accommodation.

“The student did access student accommodation—Vita Student accommodation—despite our being told they had not,” she said through a point of order in the House of Commons. “There is confusion over how information is being gathered and shared, which could have a serious impact on public confidence in how the coronavirus is being managed.”

Maskell added: “The government need to get a grip as we may be in the early stages of the management of this infection.”

Sean, who didn’t want to give his last name, said it was “incredibly eerie in Beijing today”. The 34-year-old manager of an English language school said there was heavy snow and few people on the street. “I worked from a cafe today, and was the only one inside.”

He described the Foreign Office’s advice to ‘leave China’ last night as “a huge over-reaction and disregard for expats that actually live here and call China their home”.

Sean added: “It’s not simply a matter of hopping on a plane, it’s a huge undertaking. It seemed to be a decision disconnected from the reality.”

He pointed out that Beijing is thousands of kilometres from Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak. “It seems strange to refer to China as a whole, we are talking about a country almost the size of Europe, and to evacuate the entire territory seems a bit much,” Sean said.

A Southampton student who went into isolation after feeling ill after returning from China has been given the all-clear from the new coronavirus, PA media reports.

Paramedics were sent to the Mayflower halls of residence at the University of Southampton on Monday to take the student to hospital after they contacted the NHS saying they felt ill.

The student has since been discharged and allowed to return to their accommodation.
The student’s flatmates have been told to self-isolate as a precaution and communal areas of the flat and lifts were deep-cleaned.

A university spokesman said: “The student concerned at our Mayflower halls has tested negative for the new coronavirus, so has the all-clear.”

Here’s an explainer on what self-isolation actually means.

Thousands of medical staff in Hong Kong have gone on strike in a bid to get the government to completely seal the border with mainland China, AP reports.

Hong Kong’s hospital authority says 4,600 medical staff, mainly nurses, didn’t turn up for work on Wednesday.

The medical union disputes the authority’s figure and said about 7,000 people took part in the strike. The group wants the government halt cross-border travel and prevent the spread of a new virus.

Opposition lawmakers have criticised the decision of Hong Kong leader, Carrie Lam, to quarantine all people arriving from the mainland for 14 days instead of shutting the remaining two land border checkpoints. They said it could lead to more people from the mainland coming to Hong Kong to seek treatment that would further burden the city’s already taxed medical facilities.

Here’s a report from Josh Taylor, a Guardian reporter based in Melbourne, that the Australian government is considering sending its citizens evacuated from Wuhan to isolated mining camps if Christmas Island reaches capacity for people being quarantined.

The home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, admitted there is the possibility that Christmas Island could reach capacity if the outbreak continues to spread. He said one option would be for people to share rooms, or potentially even open up other locations away from the rest of the Australian population.

“There are isolated mining camps or the prospect of hotels that you could take over. But I think we’ll look at all of those in order of what we think is the best response, but all of this is in the spirit of preparation.”

Australia has confirmed its 14th case of the coronavirus.

Dr Jeannette Young, the chief health officer, said the latest case was the fourth confirmed positive test of novel coronavirus in Queensland. She said:

The 37-year-old man, a Chinese national from Wuhan (Hubei province), is currently isolated in the Gold Coast University hospital (GCUH).

The man is a member of the same tour group travelling with the previously confirmed cases – a 44-year-old man, a 42-year-old woman and an eight-year-old boy.

All four people who have been confirmed to have novel coronavirus are stable.

The five others from the same tour group remain in isolation in GCUH.

An Australian on a flight out of virus-struck Wuhan to Auckland has written for the Guardian on the stress of his evacuation.

He wrote:

I said my goodbyes to my grandparents at the house, they were holding back tears. My dad sent me into the airport. After he sat around for a few minutes I told him to go home, and I’ll look after myself from there on.

There were a lot of us evacuating, with two or three other countries including us. Everyone’s wearing masks, and it was nerve-racking being around so many people in such close proximity. Hearing about a lot of evacuations with confirmed cases of the coronavirus on the flight, it was definitely not ideal to be around so many people at the airport.

British nationals on holiday have spoken of their frustration and anxiety of not being able to return to their homes in China.

Gareth Gough, a teacher who lives in Shenzhen with his wife, got in touch to say they are both stuck in Thailand. “There is no certainty when or if we should return and all our stuff is in our apartment,” he said.

Gough described the Foreign Office travel advice as “frustrating” and said it’s not clear what it’s grounded in. “A lot of people may not be able to or afford to leave – what about them? Matt Hancock says British people should leave on commercial operations, but also if you come home and have symptoms then stay at home … so which is it? I appreciate its infectious but they have not been very helpful!”

Christopher Halkou was on holiday in Vietnam when the Foreign Office changed its advice, “invalidating my insurance if I return to China for work as an English teacher in Shanghai”. The 25-year-old said after he had two flights cancelled from Vietnam to Shanghai, he made the decision to return to London to assess the situation from there until it was deemed safer to return.

Halkou added there was a “feeling of uncertainty and precariousness about when I’ll be returning to Shanghai. I have valuables in my flat and rent to pay for so I have to return in some capacity to sort things there even if I decide to terminate my work contract.”

Here’s the Guardian’s report on the luxury cruise ship carrying 3,700 quarantined passengers off the Japanese port of Yokohama, after initial results showed 10 passengers have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Diamond Princess has been prevented from sailing on Monday after an 80-year-old passenger who had travelled on the vessel late last month tested positive after he arrived home in Hong Kong, according to Japan’s health minister, Katsunobu Katō.

Of a further 273 people onboard who have since been tested following health screenings, 31 results had come back – and of those 10 were positive.

Hong Kong’s leader has released more information on the recently announced quarantine for all those arriving from mainland China. Carrie Lam said all people entering the semi-autonomous territory from the mainland, including Hong Kong residents, will be required to undergo 14 days of quarantine because of the outbreak of the new virus, according to a report by AP.

Lam said the measure will take effect on Saturday to allow Hong Kong day travellers to make necessary arrangements. She added that two cruise ship terminals, including one where a ship is under quarantine, will be shut down.

Lam said the government is looking for more quarantine facilities in addition to the three camps in use and stressed the authorities have remained vigilant and will not shy away from introducing stringent measures to stem the spread of the virus.

There’s been praise for the British embassy in Beijing, which is supporting the evacuation process. Paul Maloney, who works for the British Council in China, tweeted he was grateful the embassy was able to help evacuate his family, including his young son Theo, who needed an emergency passport in order to travel.

AFP is reporting that travellers from mainland China will be forced to face ”compulsory quarantine” when they arrive in Hong Kong.