British travellers in China have been urged to leave the country amid the growing spread of coronavirus.
A second government charter flight to evacuate British nationals in Hubei province – the epicentre of the outbreak – is planned to operate on Sunday to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
More than 100 UK nationals and family members have already been evacuated to Britain from Wuhan.
About 165 Britons are reported to remain in Hubei province and 108 are believed to have asked the Foreign Office for help to leave.
At least 427 people have died after contracting the virus with more than 20,000 confirmed cases, mainly in China.
The FCO updated its travel advice for China yesterday to say: “If you’re in China and able to leave, you should do so. The elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions may be at heightened risk.
“The Chinese government continues to impose further restrictions on movement within China in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
“These restrictions include the closure of some provincial highways and inter-city high speed rail, tight control on entry and exit to villages and townships across the country, and restrictions on movement within some cities and municipalities including Chongqing. Some airlines, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, have announced a suspension of flights to and from mainland China.
“Other commercial airlines are still operating, but it may become harder to access departure options over the coming weeks.
“A number of countries have announced restrictions on entry by travellers from China in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
“Given the fast-changing situation, you should check the latest FCO travel advice (including entry requirements) for your destination and check with your airline before you travel.”
The FCO continues to advise against all travel to Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, and all but essential travel to the rest of China, excluding Hong Kong and Macau.
And it warned that “the ability of the British Embassy and Consulates to provide assistance to British nationals from within China is limited, and would be even more limited in the event that the situation deteriorates further”.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said: “We have been working round the clock to help British nationals leave Hubei province, on UK, French and New Zealand flights.
“The Foreign Office is chartering a second and final UK flight with space to help all British nationals and their dependants remaining in Hubei to leave.
“I encourage all British nationals in Hubei to register with our teams if they want to leave on this flight.”