Live: Coronavirus - Air NZ plane chartered to assist in getting Kiwis out of Wuhan

Focus Live: Health Minister David Clark gives coronavirus update

The Government is chartering an Air New Zealand flight to get Kiwis in Hubei province in China – home to the city of Wuhan – back home to New Zealand.

But there is still a major hurdle to get over, as flying Kiwis back home is subject to approval from the Chinese Government.

Other countries, such as the UK and Australia, have had issues getting their citizens out of China, as approval has not yet been granted by the Chinese Government.

New Zealanders in the region, who have registered on SafeTravel, have been contacted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to register their interest for the flight.

But before anyone gets on the flight, they will be screened by health officials.

The death toll from the Coronavirus has risen to 170 people with 7700 cases confirmed – the vast majority of which are in China.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters said this afternoon that the aircraft will have capacity for around 300 passengers and will fly from Wuhan to New Zealand.

Although there is no timeframe for the evacuation mission yet, Peters said the Government is looking for the plane to be wheels up "as soon as possible".

Peters said New Zealand will be offering any additional seats to Pacific Island and Australian citizens as a matter of priority.

Those who do take a seat on the plane will be required to pay a fee, but Peters said the Government will absorb most of the cost of the charter flight.

"We encourage all New Zealanders in the Hubei region to register on Safetravel and ensure all their details are accurate and up to date. This will give us a better understanding of the level of demand for this flight."

In a statement, Air NZ said it was happy to support the New Zealand Government with the repatriation of New Zealanders from Wuhan in China's Hubei province.

"Air NZ continues to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the operational requirements of chartering this flight."

Peters said officials will be working through operational requirements with Air New Zealand and Chinese authorities.

Consular teams, Peters said, will be working with health officials to ensure that the risks of transmission of the Coronavirus to New Zealand are carefully managed throughout the evacuation process.

"The New Zealand Government would like to thank Air New Zealand for its support in assisting to bring New Zealanders home," Peters said.

On Monday, Mfat said the Government was considering using Defence Force or a chartered flight to get Kiwis out of Wuhan.

But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned that this would be no easy feat, as there are still a number of logistical issues the Government needs to address before an evacuation is attempted.

Speaking to media this afternoon, she said New Zealanders would not be quarantined on Christmas Island like Australians in Wuhan.

"We have the ability to provide our own quarantine and isolation within New Zealand, so that's just not considered something that's appropriate for us to utilise for New Zealand citizens or residents.

"New Zealand can take care of our public health issues and we see it as appropriate to do so."

Health Minister: 'we have not yet had a case of coronavirus'

Health Minister David Clark says "we have not yet had a case of coronavirus" in New Zealand.

Clark is holding a press conference regarding the latest on the country's efforts to keep coronavirus out.

Speaking to media in Penrose, Auckland, Clark said they have not yet had anyone "meet the definiton of a suspected case".

Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the number of cases was increasing, with the deaths all in China.

There has not yet been a case in New Zealand, nor anyone who fit the definition of a suspected case.

People who had been in Wuhan in last 14 days should self-isolate.

This meant they should not go to places where they would be in contact with other people.

"The important thing is all of us take standard hygiene precautions."

There was specific advice on the MoH website, being updated daily.

Bloomfield said there was a very small number of possible cases, they had been tested and were no longer in hospital.

Clark said all avenues were being looked into for appropriate housing for New Zealanders coming back from Wuhan.

Bloomfield said this was what New Zealand's pandemic plan looked at.

Options ranged from asking people to isolate at home, to a hotel.

"We are looking at all the options, that would be a decision for the Government."

Anyone symptomatic, whether here, or in China coming here, anyone unwell would be investigated.

The big difference to other viruses, is this is a "novel virus".

"The issue here is we have a novel virus, and as with Sars, we don't know the impact it could have."

Bloomfield said he thought our border controls were appropriate, 5000 people had been met at the border from China in the past few days and nobody had displayed any symptoms.

All flights from China are being met by public health staff.

The World Health Organisation has been very positive and complimentary about the openness of the Chinese government.

They were able to type and share the virus very early, on January 7, allowing for testing to take place.

"Chinese efforts ... have been of enormous help in getting on to managing this virus globally."

Should the evacuations go ahead, there will be pre-flight screening in China, and they were in the process of developing advice for any evacuation crew.

The contagiousness assessment was "relatively low", compared to measles.

This is not the sort of virus you get from passing someone in the street, rather from long exposure.

Countries around the world are on high alert for cases of the new virus, which is believed to have originated in a meat market in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province.

There have been more than 7000 confirmed cases of the virus in China and at least 170 people have died of the virus, according to the World Health Organisation.

The disease has also reached as far as Canada, Germany and Australia, with 68 confirmed cases outside China as of yesterday.

So far New Zealand has no confirmed or suspected cases of the respiratory virus, but health authorities have said it's only a matter of time before it arrives on our shores.

However, they have said while cases are likely, the probability of an outbreak is low.