Coronavirus: Andrea Leadsom Says UK Is Checking All Flights From Wuhan – Except There Aren't Any

The government’s business secretary Andrea Leadsom on Thursday said all passengers arriving from Wuhan to the UK are being screened for coronavirus – which seems reasonable until you consider the fact there are no flights at all arriving anywhere from the Chinese city because it is in lockdown.

The 11m people living in Wuhan have been told they are not allowed to leave the city unless in exceptional circumstances, in a bid to halt the spread of a new virus that has killed 17 people and infected almost 600 people, according to Chinese officials.

All flights in and out of the city, as well as nearby Huanggang, have been cancelled, alongside trains, buses, road routes and ferries.

The last flight from Wuhan to the UK arrived at Heathrow shortly after 6pm on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy said all direct flights from Wuhan to the UK would be screened, but accepted that they were currently suspended by Chinese authorities.

The Civil Aviation Authority said it was unaware of any flights currently scheduled to arrive in the UK from Wuhan, adding that flights scheduled earlier in the week appeared to have been postponed.

Speaking to Kay Burley, Leadsom said: “As I understand it we are now routinely checking all flights from Wuhan.

“Obviously this is a huge concern for the world but in particular for that city in China which I understand is now in lockdown and we will of course be guided by all of the advice that comes from the world health authorities and also on the evidence that’s coming out of China itself.”

Two Chinese cities – Wuhan and Huanggang – have been...

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