Travel warnings have come into place for China as coronavirus, otherwise known as 2019-nCoV, infects more than 20,000 people. The virus has the world on the precipice of a pandemic, the second in more than a decade.
Where is it safe to travel to?
Coronavirus has spread through more than 20 countries and over two continents since it emerged in December 2019.
While there are currently 20,655 coronavirus cases worldwide, the vast majority have emerged in mainland China.
Authorities in the country have recorded 20,428, mostly confined to the Hubei province, where it originated in the city of Wuhan.
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The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has advised against all travel to the province.
They said: “The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to Hubei Province due to the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak.
“The FCO advise against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China (not including Hong Kong and Macao).
“The British Consulates-General in Wuhan and Chongqing are currently closed.”
Currently, there are only coronavirus travel warnings for China.
Although the virus is most prevalent in Hubei, the FCO advised people in the country as a whole to leave if possible.
They said: “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.”
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Coronavirus cases have spread slowly outside of China, as according to a virus tracker run by John’s Hopkins University, only 209 extraterritorial cases have emerged so far.
The other worst-affected countries are nearby China and include Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea.
There, cases have not exceeded 25, meaning authorities are yet to set down warnings, and travel is still safe with the appropriate precautions.
Most nations have set in place strict screening procedures for people arriving directly or indirectly from China.
Those screenings should ensure health officials can contain the spread of the virus, preventing the need for new restrictions.
The UK is among those screening incoming passengers, and the government recently quarantined people returning to the country from Wuhan.
The government oversaw the return of two planeloads of UK residents living in the quarantined city.
The first group arrived back in the UK on Friday, and the second on Monday, as Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons the virus would likely stick around for “months” to come.
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