Supplies of face masks have been running out in cities across China since the outbreak of coronavirus.

Now Chinese pet owners are even buying masks for their cats and dogs over concerns they may be at risk of infection.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said there is no evidence to suggest pets can be infected with the new strain of coronavirus, that has so far killed at least 213 people in China, mostly in Hubei, with almost 10,000 cases nationally. But despite reassurance that dogs are unlikely to catch the infection, sales of pet masks are rocketing in China.

One Beijing-based online retailer said he is selling 10 times the number of special masks for dogs every day than before. Zhou Tianxiao, 33, started trading canine-specific face masks on Chinese e-commerce site Taobao in 2018 to help pets fight air pollution. But since the coronavirus broke out late last month in Wuhan, he has seen his sales volume soaring from 150 masks per month to at least 50 pieces a day, he told MailOnline.

He said: ‘Most [dogs] have started to wear [masks]. Because there is this virus, people pay more attention to their health and their pets’ health. ‘[The dog masks] might not be as professional as the medical masks made for humans, but they are functional.’

Mr Zhou, who has a six-year-old border collie called Sylar, sells his masks for 49 yuan (£5.40) for a pack of three.

He said: ‘Their main purposes are to block out smog, stop dogs from eating or licking food on the floor and prevent them from being exposed to the virus.’

Professor Li Lanjuan of China’s National Health Commission has said pet owners should take extra care of their animals because the virus ‘spreads between mammals’.

She told the country’s state broadcaster CCTV: ‘In this epidemic season, pet owners should strengthen their management of their pets.

‘If your dogs run around outside and come to contact with the outbreak or people infected with the virus, then your pets should also be put in quarantine.

‘Because the epidemic spreads between mammals, therefore we should take precaution against other mammals.’

The WHO advises pet owners to wash their hands with soap and water after contact with their animals to protect against passing common bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella.

Last night, the organisation declared coronavirus a global health emergency following an emergency meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. They confirmed there are now 98 cases in 18 countries outside China, while there have been eight involving human-to-human transmission in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the US.

Following the announcement, British medical officers increased the risk level in the UK from low to moderate. More than 80 Britons on an evacuation flight out of Wuhan – the epicentre of the outbreak – are due to land in the UK this afternoon. After several delays, the flight – chartered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) – left China at 9.45am local time on Friday, carrying 83 Britons and 27 non-UK nationals, mostly from EU countries.

The flight is expected to arrive at the Brize Norton RAF base in Oxfordshire around 1pm, the FCO said in a statement. From there, the British passengers will be taken to an NHS facility on the Wirral for a quarantine period of 14 days.

It is understood they will be taken to a former student accommodation block in the grounds of Arrowe Park Hospital, where passengers will have access to the internet in order to contact relatives. After the British passengers disembark in the UK, the flight will continue to Spain, where EU countries will process the non-British evacuees.