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Coronavirus: UK universities issue quarantine warning

<span>Photograph: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images</span>
Photograph: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

British universities have warned students considering travelling home to China to celebrate Chinese new year that they will face quarantine on their return.

The University of Chester said it had warned its Chinese students in the UK that if they return to their homeland they would not be readmitted without a suitable quarantine period.

Universities across the UK are closely monitoring the coronavirus outbreak and have followed Foreign Office advice warning people not to travel to the affected region.

The vice-chancellors’ group Universities UK said: “Ensuring the safety and welfare of their students is a top priority for universities. UK universities have been monitoring the coronavirus situation as it unfolds and universities with students in affected areas are working to identify appropriate actions.

“Universities will continue to follow the latest FCO advice and to monitor the situation, which is evolving rapidly.”

Chester has a China Centre based on its campus whose aim is to increase growth of trade and educational links between the UK and China.

What is the virus causing illness in Wuhan?

It's a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals, or possibly seafood. New and troubling viruses usually originate in animal hosts. Ebola and flu are examples.

What other coronaviruses have there been?

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers) are both caused by coronaviruses that came from animals. Chinese authorities initially played Sars cases down, and were subsequently much criticised because the virus spread virtually unchecked to 37 countries causing global panic, infecting more than 8,000 people and killing more than 750. Mers appears to be less easily passed from human to human, but has greater lethality, killing 35% of about 2,500 people who have been infected.

What are the symptoms caused by the Wuhan coronavirus?

The virus causes pneumonia. Those who have fallen ill are reported to suffer coughs, fever and breathing difficulties. As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use. Antiviral drugs may be used, but usually only lessen the severity of symptoms. 

Is the virus being transmitted from one person to another?

China’s health ministry has confirmed human-to-human transmission. As of 24 January the Chinese authorities had acknowledged 830 infections and 26 deaths. Those who have died are known to have been already in poor health - but mild cases may not be reported at all.

How worried are the experts?

There are fears that the coronavirus may spread more widely during the Chinese new year holidays at the end of January, when millions of people travel home to celebrate. As a result, China has put more than 33 million people on lockdown. At the moment, it appears that people in poor health are at greatest risk, as is always the case with flu. But the authorities will be anxious that the virus will become more potent than so far appears and will be keen to stop the spread.

Sarah Boseley Health editor

It is planning a cultural and economic exchange forum next week for people and organisations to learn more about potential business growth in China. The university’s website says the event will include Chinese delegations and partners of the institution.

Wuhan University, in the Chinese city where the outbreak began, has international partnerships with Aberdeen, Glasgow, Birmingham and Leeds universities and Edinburgh university has international partnerships with 42 universities across China.

Meanwhile, two police stations were temporarily closed amid fears that a Chinese detainee was displaying flu-like symptoms.

Avon and Somerset police said the decision to close Patchway police station, near Bristol, and Trinity Road police station in Bristol city centre on Wednesday night was taken as a precaution.

The force said a man being detained had fallen ill and there were fears he may have had contact with people who had travelled from Wuhan. But following investigations it emerged the man did not have the virus.

Hospitals in Wuhan have been thrown into chaos and the movement of about 20 million people has been restricted by an unprecedented and indefinite lockdown imposed to halt the spread of the deadly new coronavirus.

At least 10 cities in central Hubei province have been shut down in an effort to stop the virus, which by Friday had killed 26 people across China and affected more than 800. Cases have been reported in the US, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The World Health Organization described the outbreak as an emergency for China, but stopped short of declaring it to be a public health emergency of international concern.

There are no known cases in the UK, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said, which was “well prepared” to deal with an outbreak.

Fourteen people in the UK have now been tested for the virus, according to figures released by Public Health England (PHE). Five tested negative for the virus, while nine are still awaiting results.

Earlier, it emerged six people were being tested in hospitals in Scotland and Northern Ireland after showing symptoms. All the patients had been in Wuhan, which can cause lung disease such as pneumonia, first emerged, in the last 14 days.

The Scottish patients all travelled from Wuhan, where the outbreak is thought to have originated, within the past two weeks and were showing symptoms of respiratory trouble – a red flag for the virus.

While there remain no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Scotland, the Scottish government has set up a daily incident management team with Health Protection Scotland, to continue monitoring the situation.

On Thursday night, it was confirmed that two people diagnosed with flu were being tested for the virus in Scotland. Three others were also being tested on a precautionary basis. At least three of the patients are believed to be Chinese nationals.

While the Scottish government would not confirm where the patients were being treated, on Friday morning the Courier newspaper reported that two were from the Tayside region, two from Glasgow and one from Lothian.

Dundee University, in Tayside, has a joint education partnership with Wuhan University: it said five members of staff had returned from a visit to Wuhan last week but that no health concerns had been raised.

Aberdeen University said five of its staff members had also visited Wuhan during the outbreak, and one of those – who has a non-teaching role – was working from home as a precautionary measure.

On Wednesday, PHE began carrying out enhanced monitoring of direct flights from China. On Thursday, Hancock told the Commons the UK was one of a few countries to have developed a test for the latest coronavirus, so any suspected case could be diagnosed quickly. However, the symptoms do not develop for five to seven days, and sometimes even up to 14, meaning the virus can circulate undetected.

The UK has advised against all but essential travel to Wuhan. While the UK has put in place measures to check passengers at Heathrow airport arriving from Wuhan, the Chinese government has stopped flights out of the city.

“The chief medical officer has revised the risk to the UK population from very low to low and concluded that while there is an increased likelihood that cases may arise in this country, we are well-prepared and well-equipped to deal with them,” Hancock told MPs.