Coronavirus: Hong Kong to send flights to rescue residents stranded in Wuhan – including several pregnant women – but cannot say when

Decision comes as a mother and daughter are found to be first known cases of Hong Kong residents escaping Hubei province

Hoped-for easing of Wuhan lockdown, meanwhile, scuppered after just three hours

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Government estimates as many as 2,000 Hongkongers are stranded in Wuhan. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 7:21pm, 24 Feb 2020Updated: 8:14am, 25 Feb 2020

The Hong Kong government has said it will send chartered flights to rescue residents, including several pregnant women, stranded in mainland China’s locked down Hubei province – but it would not commit to a time frame.

The decision, repeatedly lobbied for by sections of the community, came as a woman and her daughter were found to the first known cases of Hong Kong residents escaping from the province and returning home. The pair made it back on their own after a 10-hour road trip.

Earlier in the day, hopes had been raised that the lockdown of Wuhan – the city at the centre of the Covid-19 outbreak – might be relaxed and some people would be allowed to leave. But the authorities revoked the announcement three hours later, blaming a subordinate working group at the disease control command centre for a premature move.

China’s health authorities reported 409 new cases of the coronavirus infection on Monday and 150 more deaths, taking its totals to 77,150 and 2,592 respectively.

All but one of the new deaths were in Hubei province – which also accounted for 398 of the new cases. The other fatality was in the southern province of Hainan.

At a press conference on Monday night, the Hong Kong government confirmed an earlier Post report that it would arrange flights to get about 2,700 residents out, following mounting pressure from various political groups.

But Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen said it would be difficult to provide a time frame with residents scattered across 37 cities.