Yesterday, we shared the story of an American citizen who has elected to stay behind in 'virus-plagued' Wuhan to be with his girlfriend (and his dog). Doug Perez told reporters that he passed up an offer to board the chartered plane that departed the international airport in Wuhan last night with roughly 240 Americans (mostly diplomats) on board.

Fortunately, the US is planning more evac flights now that the first has landed safely in Alaska on its way to California (yet another 'hot zone'). But in the mean time, some 800 Americans have been left behind (either voluntarily or involuntarily). And they're not the only ones. 

Only the US, France, Japan, The EU, the UK and South Korea have successfully confirmed plans for evacuation flights with China. The UK has said rescued Britons will need to agree to spend two weeks in a quarantine once returning.

Several foreigners in Wuhan and elsewhere have now been diagnosed with the virus (including several Pakistanis and Australians). And as others fear abandonment, they shared their fears and reservations with a reporter from the FT.

Some have been frantically calling their embassies and consulates, but have either been ignored, or unable to get through.

"We have not had any specific information on evacuation. It has been a very difficult time," said Giuseppe, an Italian national who works at a ceramics company in Wuhan.

One man, a British-born teacher whose Canadian wife is pregnant is worried that they won't be able to receive adequate medical care for the birth. Desperate for help, he figured that sharing his story with the press might be his young family's only hope.

Tom Williams, a British teacher in Wuhan whose Canadian wife is 35 weeks’ pregnant, appealed to the government for help in an online post. "I just want to share our story so I can try and get my wife, son and unborn child safely out of the city," he wrote.

Officials in Beijing said Monday that they would advise against evacuating foreign citizens, but that if governments demanded it, they would cooperate.

"They said they don’t encourage or recommend evacuation. At the same time, they also said if foreign governments decide to evacuate their citizens, they would co-operate," said one diplomat.

A Spanish football coach of the Wuhan football team said he'd been indoors with his girlfriend for six days.

Dani Carmona, a Spanish coach at a Wuhan football team, said he had stayed indoors for six days with his girlfriend. "We spend the day watching movies, reading...waiting for the permission from the Chinese government and the Spanish embassy to leave," he said.

The US chartered a plane to remove consulate officials, selling tickets to some non-government staff, including workers at a glass factory owned by industrial company Corning, at a cost of $1,000 per head.

"These travellers will be carefully screened and monitored to protect their health, as well as the health and safety of their fellow Americans here at home," the US state department said.

The US chartered plane was primarily for consular employees, though tickets were sold to some non-government workers. Many described to the FT how they waited anxiously for word about whether they and their families would get the $1,000-a-pop tickets.

The US chartered a plane to remove consulate officials, selling tickets to some non-government staff, including workers at a glass factory owned by industrial company Corning, at a cost of $1,000 per head.

"These travellers will be carefully screened and monitored to protect their health, as well as the health and safety of their fellow Americans here at home," the US state department said.

Demand for tickets far exceeded supply. Priscilla Dickie, a 35-year-old Chinese language student, had waited anxiously to hear if she and her eight-year-old daughter could board the flight before getting the go-ahead to leave.

"Waiting for that call was really bad," she said, speaking to the Financial Times at the airport as she passed through a series of "stressful" medical screening tests, with those deemed to be sick facing the possibility of being turned back.

Another American claimed there are still hundreds of Americans left in the city who are growing increasingly desperate.

Patrick Stockstill, a mortgage loan officer from Rhode Island in the US who had also secured seats on the flight, warned that many US citizens remained stuck in the quarantine zone.

"The one thing I want to bring awareness to is that there are still lots of US citizens in Hubei who have not been able to get out," said Mr Stockstill, who was visiting family in Wuhan and is travelling with his children, one aged three years, and one three months.

Let's hope they have a decent stockpile of facemasks.