Hundreds of Aussies trapped in Wuhan as coronavirus death toll rises
As the death toll rises, hundreds of Aussies and their families are stranded in China after being caught up in the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The federal government has vowed to evacuate nationals in the coming days, but more than 100 Australian children and their families are stuck in the city of Wuhan, which is the epicentre for the outbreak.
Rui Zeverino, a Melbourne horse trainer, spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald about how the outbreak is being contained.
"We have to walk through a pool of disinfectant, which they change every day, for our feet, to clean them," he said. "They also make us go into a special ultraviolet room in order to disinfect us. We have to stay there for four minutes before we can leave."
"Anyone who has a temperature higher than normal, you get reported and you get taken away," he explained.
The city of Wuhan has a population of 11 million people now resembles scenes from a disaster Hollywood film, with people barricading themselves indoors.
"It is ground zero here," Mr Severino said. "Everyone is extremely fearful and that is why we must follow the measures enforced by the Chinese government very strictly."
Sydney man Daniel Ou Yang visited his grandparents in Wuhan earlier this month and is now stranded due to the virus.
"We are being advised to not even open our doors," the 21-year-old said. "I’m really worried for my grandparents and the younger kids here. The situation is pretty bad over here. I think it’s worse than the government is letting on. The hospitals are completely overwhelmed and obviously long term it’s going to get more stressful."
"A lot of residents from other countries and students have been evacuated from China already," he said. "It is frustrating not knowing."
Five infections have been confirmed in Australia so far, but the number is expected to rise.