Nearly 500 people dead from Wuhan virus
The British government has urged all of its citizens in China to leave the country, but offered little more in detailed information or practical advice.
What they said: In a statement yesterday, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said it “now recommends that British Nationals who are able to leave China do so,» citing the coronavirus outbreak as the reason for the advisory.
UK citizens in China should leave «to minimise their risk of exposure to the virus,» said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in the statement.
What they didn’t say: The statement gave little more detail on what prompted the additional urgency, whether there was new medical information about the virus spread, or even how tens of thousands of Britons in China might go about leaving.
Other countries have suspended travel to mainland China and barred entry to travelers coming from China, but the UK is the first to ask its citizens to leave the country entirely.
Chinese response: China has not responded specifically to the updated UK advisory, but it has lashed out at other countries for taking stringent measures against the coronavirus. It accused the US of overreacting and feeding mass hysteria by banning Chinese travelers and evacuating its consulate staff from China.
“We hope countries will make reasonable, calm and science-based judgments and responses,» said a Chinese official on Monday.
