Image copyright AFP As the Chinese city at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak remains under lockdown, governments abroad are continuing efforts to bring their citizens home.
The death toll from the virus now stands at 170, with more than 7,700 confirmed cases in China alone.
Many airlines have reduced or cancelled flights to the country as a result.
So which countries have evacuated their citizens so far, and what awaits them once they are brought home?
UK
Around 200 British citizens are due to return home on Friday on a flight that was delayed earlier because the Chinese authorities had not cleared it.
Passengers will be transported to accommodation in the north west of England, where they will stay in “supported isolation” for 14 days with “all necessary medical attention”, a Downing Street spokesman said.
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Meanwhile, a spokesman for the prime minister said the government was pressing Beijing to allow the spouses or partners of UK nationals to be on the flight, following reports that family members with Chinese citizenship were being prevented from travelling by local authorities.
US
Around 200 of the estimated 1,000 US nationals in Wuhan have returned to the US.
Among the passengers are non-essential diplomatic staff and their family members, who were ordered to leave Wuhan by the State Department.
US officials are continuing to work on plans to evacuate the remaining US citizens.
All those who have returned so far have been placed in voluntary quarantine in an air base in southern California for three days of testing and monitoring, CNN reported.
Passengers not displaying any symptoms will be monitored for a 14-day incubation period.
Australia and New Zealand
Australia is working to repatriate around 600 of its nationals from Wuhan.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said evacuees will be held on the remote Christmas island, which lies around 2,000km (1,200 miles) from the mainland and is better known for its recently reopened immigration detention centre.
Currently only housing one Sri Lankan family of four, the facility was built to accommodate more than 1,000 people and was previously criticised for its conditions.
New Zealand, which has 53 citizens in Wuhan, says it will co-operate with the Australian government to bring back its nationals.
But the country’s foreign minister has said the government is looking into domestic options for quarantining its returning nationals, according to Radio New Zealand (RNZ).
Canada
Canada has prepared a plane to repatriate nationals who have requested consular assistance.
The next steps for Canadians who return home remain unclear, with Health Minister Patty Hajdu telling reporters: “Part of the process now is figuring out what our protocols will be when we return Canadians who wish to come home.”
EU countries
The EU is sending two flights to bring back 350 European citizens from Wuhan.
The costs of the flights will be co-financed by the EU, which said that “EU citizens present in the region and who wish to be repatriated can still request it, no matter their nationality”.
The first flight is expected to carry around 250 French citizens, while more than 100 nationals of other EU countries will join the second.
Separately, around 90 German citizens still in Wuhan and their family members are expected to be flown to Frankfurt in the coming days, according to Germany’s Bild tabloid.
While the country’s health minister did not give any details on any plans for quarantine, he told the newspaper that the government wanted to house passengers returning from Wuhan centrally: “If everyone goes to the supermarket or the cinema, it makes no sense.”
Spain’s foreign minister tweeted on Tuesday that the country was continuing to work “with our partners in the EU and China to organise the repatriation of Spaniards in Wuhan”.
Japan
Two government-chartered flights have already arrived in Tokyo, with a third flying back to Wuhan on Thursday.
However, three of the passengers later tested positive for the coronavirus.
Around 650 Japanese citizens said they wanted to be repatriated, but the Japan Times reports that the government has not enforced any quarantine on those returning from the affected area of China.
South Korea
South Korea, which has so far confirmed four cases of coronavirus, is planning to evacuate around 700 of its nationals from Wuhan.
The country had initially planned to fly people out on two chartered planes on Thursday night, but this was later reduced after Beijing only gave permission for one aircraft.
Returning citizens will be held in isolation in two separate public facilities in the provinces of North and South Chungcheong, according to the Yonhap News Agency.
However, there has been opposition to the repatriations from residents who fear that the virus could spread.
India
According to a spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian government has requested permission to operate two planes to Hubei province.
The country has confirmed its first case of the virus after a student in the southern state of Kerala, who had studied in Wuhan, was found to have been infected.
India’s Business Standard newspaper quoted the country’s health minister as saying returnees would be required to spend two weeks in quarantine.
Turkey
Thirty-two Turkish citizens and their families are to be evacuated from Wuhan, the country’s ambassador to China said on Wednesday.
“We will bring them back as soon as possible…with a medical or similarly-equipped plane,” Ambassador Emin Onen told Turkey’s NTV channel.
“There will be certain quarantine conditions when they land in Turkey.”
Egypt
The latest country to announce evacuation plans from Wuhan, Egypt has said it will send a special flight to return its citizens.
A quarantine period of 14 days would then be enforced.
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