The UK has been criticised by the World Health Organization’s director general for urging all its 30,000 citizens in China to leave the country because of the coronavirus outbreak.
It was wrong to imply that the whole of China had an outbreak on the same scale as that in Wuhan in Hubei province, where it began and where most of the cases and deaths are still occurring, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Considering China as if the problem was the same in all provinces could be wrong – and it is wrong,” said Tedros. “For instance, 80% of cases in China are in Hubei province, so that blanket approach may not help.
“We are concerned that all countries make their decisions based on evidence. Even in China there are provinces with very few cases, like other countries in the neighbourhood and beyond.”
There have been 24,363 cases of the new coronavirus confirmed in China and 490 deaths, he said at a briefing in Geneva. In the previous 24 hours the largest number of cases were reported in a day since the outbreak began. Outside China, there were 191 cases in 24 countries and one death, in the Philippines.
Dr Michael Ryan, head of the WHO’s emergencies programme, said they were asking governments to adopt calm, well-considered public health measures. “Certainly in a situation where many individuals are potentially living in the country, we don’t believe those individuals are necessarily at the highest risk.”
He pointed out that recalling such a large number of people to the UK would require a great deal of screening and public health support on their return. The WHO was monitoring all the measures that countries outside China were taking and would be sharing its findings with other member states “to try to bring some cohesion and order” to countries’ responses to the crisis.
The new advice to British nationals in China came out of the blue on Tuesday in a statement from foreign secretary Dominic Raab: “We now advise British nationals in China to leave the country if they can, to minimise their risk of exposure to the virus.”
The advice came just a few days after the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern, but urged countries not to impose travel or trade restrictions on China. Many airlines have, however, stopped flying to the country.
While the UK is among a number of countries to have evacuated thei citizens from Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak, which is under lockdown, it is alone in advising all citizens anywhere in China to leave. But the Foreign Office briefed that early return was advisable in case the outbreak spread within China and travel restrictions made it difficult to leave.
The shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, accused the government of asking Britons in China to fend for themselves. “How on earth has the Foreign Office not got plans and protocols in place for how these crises are managed? The first duty of any government is to protect its citizens, at home and abroad, and Boris Johnson is manifestly failing to do that,” she said.
Matt Hancock said on Wednesday morning that the government’s stance was based on scientific advice. “There are still commercial flights available,” the health secretary said on BBC Breakfast. “The principle that we are taking is that we want to take no chances with this virus. We want to take a science-led approach. The approach we have been taking is very much driven by the advice of the chief medical officer.
“This is a very serious virus and having a very serious impact in China. There are two cases only here in the UK, but we do expect more, so we are taking no chances.”
Meanwhile, Canada’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that Canadians who do not need to be in China should leave while they still can. François-Philippe Champagne told reporters: “We are advising Canadians whose presence in China is not essential to depart via commercial means while they remain available.”
Canada intended to fly 200 citizens out on Wednesday, but was waiting another 24 hours because of bad weather, prime minister Justin Trudeau said earlier.