WHAT’S THE STORY?

CHINESE health authorities have urged people to avoid crowds and public gatherings after warning that a new viral illness that has infected hundreds and caused at least 17 deaths could spread further.

The number of new cases has risen sharply in China, the centre of the outbreak. There were 440 confirmed cases by midnight on Tuesday in 13 jurisdictions. A handful of cases have been identified abroad, including in Japan and the US, but there have been no reported cases in the UK.

The National:

The illness comes from a newly identified type of coronavirus, a family of viruses that can cause the common cold as well as more serious illnesses such as the Sars outbreak that spread from China to more than a dozen countries in 2002-03 and killed about 800 people.

Thai authorities have confirmed four cases – a Thai national and three Chinese visitors. Japan, South Korea, the US and Taiwan have reported one case each. All the illnesses were of people from Wuhan or who had recently travelled there.

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The National:

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

SYMPTOMS of coronavirus can include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

The problem is that symptoms often take days to arise and so people travelling may only notice they are ill after they have landed and entered a new country.

The National:

CAN IT AFFECT SCOTLAND?

IN short, yes. The current risk to the UK has been elevated from “very low” to “low”. The UK has announced that it will monitor all flights arriving from China as a precautionary measure to ensure that the virus does not enter our borders.

Direct flights from Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated, arrive at Heathrow airport three times a week. Human-to-human transmission has led to the virus spreading to other cities in China, which means that an infected person could do the same in the UK.

Flights arrivals will be met in isolated parts of UK terminals with health teams screening travellers for symptoms. Passengers will be advised to report any illness before the flight lands.

Despite these precautions, experts have warned that screening should not be considered foolproof.

The National:

WHAT ABOUT TRAVEL?

CHINESE authorities have told people to stop travel into and out of Wuhan.

A viral outbreak is not covered in most travel insurance policies as many policies do not cover cancelling a trip due to “the fear of an epidemic, pandemic, infection or allergic reaction”.

If you have booked a trip as a package holiday, you may be able to amend or cancel your booking with your tour operator.