Britain working on flight home for citizens in coronavirus-hit Wuhan

The British government is working to organize a flight back to the United Kingdom for Britons in Wuhan, China, a foreign office spokeswoman said on Wednesday as the city grapples with an outbreak of the coronavirus. Fears over the spread of the flu-like virus, which originated in the central city of Wuhan, are growing as the death toll rose to 133 and countries began flying their nationals out of China.

"We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK. A number of countries' flights have been unable to take off as planned," a UK Foreign Office spokeswoman said in a statement. "We remain in close contact with the Chinese authorities and conversations are ongoing at all levels," the statement added.

Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock said earlier on Wednesday that anyone returning to Britain from Wuhan will be safely isolated for 14 days to prevent the spread of coronavirus.