Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, on Thursday ordered the repatriation of around two hundred citizens from Wuhan, the central Chinese city which is the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, reported Reuters.
According to the statement issued by the president’s office, 132 of the 199 South Africans currently in Wuhan under lockdown conditions had requested to come home.
“It is estimated that there are 199 South African citizens in Wuhan as per the latest consolidated list from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. At this stage, 132 of them have expressed the desire to be repatriated,” Ramaphosa said in a statement.
The president said the government is in touch with the families of all affected individuals, and relevant government departments had made arrangements to receive them. He added that the departments of health and of defence which would deploy healthcare personnel and support staff to help repatriate and quarantine them. They would also receive trauma counseling.
Ramaphosa said none of the stranded South African people has been diagnosed with the virus nor they have exhibited any symptoms.
Notably, as a precautionary measure, the South African health authorities will put all those making a return from Wuhan in isolation for a few days.
“Upon arrival in South Africa, they will be placed in quarantine for 21 days as an additional precautionary measure,” the statement said.
The Covid-19 virus (coronavirus) was first reported in Wuhan, China in November 2019. The virus has now spread to a host of countries including Iran, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Italy, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The deadly virus has infected over 80,000 people and killed more than 2,800, mostly in China.
The coronavirus is also spreading in African countries as Nigeria reported its first confirmed case on Friday. Nigeria is the third African country to report a coronavirus case aside Egypt and Algeria and first in West Africa.
