RochelleGooneratne
Japan and South Korea will fly aircraft to an outbreak of pneumonia in China to bring citizens back home this week.
The flight to evacuate Japanese nationals will depart for Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China tonight, after the two countries' Ministry of Foreign Affairs has agreed, Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu said today. The flight is scheduled to leave Wuhan tomorrow morning and land in Tokyo at noon the same day.
Medical workers wear white protective gear at a hospital in Wuhan city on January 26 Photo: AFP
"The plane will carry a mask and protective gear when it comes to Wuhan, then carry about 200 people to Japan. About 650 Japanese citizens wishing to return to the country, the government will send more aircraft to Wuhan. after January 29, "Mr. Motegi said at a press conference in Tokyo.
South Korea will also evacuate citizens from Wuhan City by plane in the next few days, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said.
"The flights will arrive in Wuhan as early as January 30," Chung said during a ministerial meeting on the prevention of the new corona (nCoV) virus.
The nCoV virus, thought to have originated from a seafood and wildlife market in Wuhan city, has killed 106 people. China has reported more than 4,500 cases of virus-positive, with 7,000 more suspected cases awaiting confirmation.
Japan has listed the acute pneumonia epidemic caused by the nCoV virus on its list of special contagious diseases. "Listing n-CoV on this list allows the Japanese government to force suspected cases into hospitalization and testing to take measures that can prevent the spread of the disease," said Chief Cabinet Secretary. Suga Yoshihide said at today's press conference.
In addition to Japan and South Korea, Britain, France, Spain and the United States also plan to evacuate citizens from Wuhan. The flight to bring US citizens to California will depart tomorrow, prioritizing those at high risk. Germany, Canada, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia are among the countries that have just confirmed the first cases positive for n-CoV virus, while the number of people with strange pneumonia in Thailand and Singapore continues to increase.
