Briton scared to leave Wuhan flat for fear of exposing baby to deadly coronavirus

A British citizen and his family have not left their flat in the Chinese city of Wuhan for a week out of fear of infecting his nine-month-old daughter with the deadly coronavirus.

The 22-year-old from Manchester, who asked to remain anonymous, said he and his wife are now rationing food to get through the outbreak, which originated in China.

He said: “My wife is staying positive but inside I can tell she’s worried, we both are. We know that if our baby got sick she wouldn’t make it and that’s a horrible, dreadful feeling.”

Neither of them have been diagnosed with the illness but fear coming into contact with anyone who may carry the deadly strain.

He said: “The flat bit isn’t that bad, it’s more the paranoia every time I go out in the corridor to empty bins or something like that.

“My wife’s family gave us a lot of leftover meat and vegetables from the New Year’s dinner we had. We think that will last us a few more weeks.”

UK citizens stranded in Wuhan are being urged to contact the British consulate as part of repatriation plans .

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the Government is “working on” how to bring people home from the Chinese city.

However, the father-of-one said he would not be leaving the city, as his wife is a local.

He did add that things seemed “more positive” today.

He said: “There’s been a lot of talk today about some positive developments in treating sick people.

“Chinese media reported this morning that a pregnant woman infected with the virus was successfully treated and in recovery and that the baby was doing fine.

“More and more of these small ‘victories’ are popping up now and that’s why we’re a bit more optimistic.”

More than 100 people have now died in China , with confirmed infections rising to more than 4,500 globally.

The deadly virus has now spread to at least 16 cities. Wearing face masks in public is now mandatory in some Chinese cities.

On Monday, a 50-year-old man died from the virus in Beijing – the first death in the Chinese capital from the virus.

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