Coronavirus: 'Little Peanut' robot delivers food to people in quarantine in China

A hotel in China being used to quarantine people suspected of having coronavirus has employed a robot to deliver food.

The ‘Little Peanut’ robot was filmed carrying out its duties at a hotel in Hangzhou, China, where passengers from a flight carrying people infected with the deadly virus were staying.

“Hello everyone. Cute Little Peanut is serving food to you now,” the robot states, according to a translation by China Xinhua News.

“Enjoy your meal. If you need anything else, please message the staff on WeChat.”

More than 300 people are currently being quarantined at the 16-story hotel, according to the report, with multiple robots used on each floor.

There have been around 6,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with the number of deaths currently standing at 132.

It is believed to have broken out from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, which sold illegally traded wildlife.

Wuhan was put under lockdown by Chinese authorities on 23 January and several airlines have suspended flights to mainland China in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus.

Foreign nationals being evacuated from Wuhan are being placed into quarantine centres, including hundreds of Britons who will be forced to spend two weeks at a military base once they arrive back in the UK.

“We are working hard to get British nationals back from Wuhan,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted on Tuesday.

“Public safety is the top priority. Anyone who returns from Wuhan will be safely isolated for 14 days, with all necessary medical attention.”

So far there have been no confirmed cases of the virus in the UK and it is not yet considered a high risk to public health in the country.