One hundred Australian children stranded in Wuhan as coronavirus spreads

About 100 schoolchildren are among the Australian citizens that are stranded in Wuhan, which has been placed into lockdown by the Chinese government to contain the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

As authorities brace for what is expected to be a fifth confirmed case in Australia on Monday, the health minister, Greg Hunt, said the government was working to repatriate Australian citizens who are now trapped in the Chinese megacity of 11 million people.

“We know at this point that the Chinese authorities have closed the Wuhan city as well as other cities within Hubei province,” Hunt told ABC Radio on Monday morning.

“We are working to make sure that there is support for those Australians and we are also working on, as are other countries, trying to secure their ability to return to Australia. At this point in time, the foreign minister is working around the clock on that.”

More than 50 people have died from this new coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan and causes pneumonia, while Hunt said on Monday morning there were 2,019 confirmed cases around the world.

Chinese authorities last week took the dramatic step of imposing a mass ban on travel outside of the city in a bid to stop the spread of the virus. It has since expanded the ban to 10 cities.

France and the United States are among nations that have announced plans to charter a plane to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan.

Asked if Australia would to the same, Hunt said the foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, was working with Chinese authorities “on all options to secure of the Australians”.

“These are international discussions that many countries are having.”

It comes as authorities in Australia are expected to confirm a fifth confirmed case of the coronavirus. Three people in New South Wales and one in Victoria have already been diagnosed with the virus, while the fifth person had preliminarily tested positive to the virus and would undergo further examination on Monday.

“There are four confirmed cases and one ‘highly probable’,” Hunt told ABC Radio. “That’s subject to confirmation. We should receive the results from the second round of testing today.”

Hunt said it was likely there would be more confirmed cases, but he would not be drawn on how many more people were likely to test positive for the virus.

“The advice from the chief medical officer is we suspect there could well be other cases in Australia,” he said.

The World Health Organisation is yet to declare to a public health emergency, but the virus has prompted massive disruption in China, where events have been cancelled during the lunar year festival.

The Asian Football Confederation has also moved games away from Nanjing, meaning Sydney will now host the Matildas’ Olympic qualifying group matches against China, Taiwan and Thailand.

In Sydney, three men aged 35, 43, and 53 are being treated in hospital but are listed as being stable.

Authorities have now spoken to all but two people who have been in close contact with the three men since they arrived from China.

In Victoria, a man in his 50s is being treated at Monash Medical Centre while four of his family members are being quarantined at home. A further 11 patients are now awaiting test results.

Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said authorities were attempting to contact four people who may have come into contact with the Victorian patient after sharing the same flight.

With Australian Associated Press