The Foreign Office is working on a plan to rescue Britonstrapped in the epicentre of a SARS-like coronavirus outbreak in China within days.
It is estimated that up to 500 UK citizens are stranded in Wuhan after Chinese authorities locked down the city of 11million and told residents not to leave.
Many Britons living there have called on the Government to carry out a mass evacuation and told how they are afraid to leave their homes as hundreds more become infected every day.
It is understood that the Foreign Office is working with Chinese officials to airlift British citizens from Hubei province – where most of the infections have occurred – within days.
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Britons trapped in the province had been urged to leave on their own if they are able to do so, but flights are grounded, train bus and ferry services have been cancelled and there are roadblocks.
Some of the Brits stuck in Wuhan have told how they are desperate to travel home to the UK or running low on essentials such as medication.
France and the US have announced plans to evacuate their citizens from Hubei province.
French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn previously told reporters: “French citizens will be repatriated by airplane directly to France, with the agreement of the Chinese authorities. This will take place midweek."
The US consulate in Wuhan said it would evacuate its staff and some private citizens on a charter flight on Tuesday.
In China, at least 106 people have died and more than 2,800 have been infected.
Public Health England has said it is likely that the flu-like virus has already spread to the UK even though no cases have been confirmed yet.
It said 73 people who have recently travelled to the UK from Wuhan have been tested for the virus, and all of the results have come back negative.
Up to 2,00 people in Britain recently travelled to Wuhan and they have been urged to self-isolate.
Public Health England said people who have returned from Wuhan in the last 14 days should stay indoors and avoid contact with other people.
They should call NHS 111 to inform them of their recent travel to the city even if they aren't showing any symptoms.
People in Northern Ireland should call their GP.
The current risk to the public remains low, Public Health England said, adding that the Government is continuing to monitor the situation closely.
However, Chinese officials have said that it can take up to two weeks for symptoms to show and carriers could spread the virus to others before they are diagnosed.
Germany declared its first confirmed case on Monday, saying a man in the town of Starnberg, near Munich, had tested positive.
The man was in "good condition" and isolated in hospital.
Three patients are being treated in France, the first European country to record coronavirus cases.
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