Taylor Mahon's dad Aaron fears for his daughter Taylor. Photo / Supplied
Taylor Mahon's dad Aaron fears for his daughter Taylor. Photo / Supplied
A Kiwi man trapped at the centre of China's coronavirus outbreak fears for the lives of his wife and 5-year-old daughter as their food supply dwindles.
"The feeling is that we're going to die in China. We need to get out of here," Aaron Mahon told the Herald.
"We're happyto go into quarantine, we just need help to get out of the city."
Mahon said he'd been in touch with the New Zealand embassy in Beijing, as had his family in New Zealand, but hasn't received any help.
Aaron Mahon and his family are holed up in Wuhan, China and running low on food. Photo / Supplied
He estimated the family had only a few day's worth of food left, with all they have going to their daughter, Taylor.
Mahon and his family, who are all New Zealand citizens, had been living in China for the past year.
They planned to move back to New Zealand in a few months, but now are too scared to leave their house.
The city of Wuhan, home to 11 million residents, is locked down, with nowhere open to buy food, Mahon said.
"It's a deserted city, you might see one person walking in the distance and that's it.
"There's nothing open, there's no public transport. Every single road is blocked, every province is blocked. It's terrible."
"I'm looking at my daughter and ..." he began to cry.
Taylor Mahon's dad Aaron fears for his family. Photo / Supplied
The respiratory virus has now claimed more than 80 lives and infected almost 3000 people globally.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it had received a "small number" of requests for consular assistance from Kiwis in Wuhan City and Hubei Province.
The embassy in Beijing is providing assistance to these individuals and families, an MFAT spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the Unites States has arranged for its citizens to be evacuated from Wuhan and Australia is expected to follow suit.
Japan is expected to arrange a chartered flight to Wuhan on Tuesday, for any of its citizens who want to leave.
Chinese authorities last week took the unprecedented step of imposing an indefinite ban on travel outside of the city, to contain the spread of the virus.
Mahon said he's been constantly calling and emailing the contact information given to him but is getting nowhere.
His wife said the family desperately needed help from the New Zealand Government.
"We will either die of the virus or we will die of starvation.
"We are so scared, we want to go home."
The Mahons knew of around 25 Kiwis trapped in Wuhan, all desperate to get out.
"All of us are trying to get safe means of passage out of the city, to a safe zone," Mahon said.
"We don't care if we're quarantined, its about getting us safely out of here."
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she would make "no apologies" for rolling out "everything we can", when it came to responding to the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
She said she was seeking advice on whether the Government would evacuate New Zealanders in or around the Wuhan region in China.
The United States has arranged for its citizens to be evacuated from the city, with Australia looking to follow suit and Japan expected to charter a plane to evacuate citizens. Photo / AP
An MFAT spokesperson said that, for privacy reasons, MFAT did not comment on individual cases.
"We are aware that some countries are providing their citizens with assistance to depart Wuhan. We are working closely with our China Posts and consular partner countries regarding how best to assist New Zealanders in Wuhan," MFAT said in a statement.
Mahon appealed to the Government to help his family and other Kiwis trapped in the city.
"I really appreciate everything they're trying to do, but trying and doing are two different things. We need action before it's too late.
"We're typical New Zealanders - we work, we have property, we pay taxes. You hope that when you need your country they're going to be there."
An MFAT spokesperson said there were currently 21 New Zealanders registered as being in Wuhan City on SafeTravel.
It is reminding New Zealanders they must comply with all Chinese laws, rules and regulations including the travel restrictions imposed by the Chinese authorities to contain the virus.
The current travel advisory is to avoid non-essential travel to Hubei Province.
