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Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the United States and Japan plan to bring citizens out of Wuhan, China due to concerns about an acute pneumonia epidemic.
"We are working with the Spanish consulate in Beijing, Chinese officials and the European Union (EU) to repatriate about 20 Spaniards in Wuhan, Hubei, the center of the corona virus epidemic. We will continue to update any new developments, "Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya today said on Twitter.
Tourists from a flight of Air China, China at Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris on January 26 Photo: Reuters.
The British Foreign Office on the same day issued a statement saying it was promoting the removal of its citizens from Hubei province and asked citizens to contact the embassy in Beijing if they needed help.
France will arrange a direct flight this mid-week to repatriate French citizens who want to leave Wuhan, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said today in Paris, after an emergency meeting with French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.
According to Minister Buzyn, the number of repatriated French citizens could "range from a few dozen to a few hundred". Upon returning to France, these citizens will be isolated for 14 days, which is the estimated time of incubation of the virus.
"We are considering the possibility of evacuating all Germans who want to leave Wuhan," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said at a press conference today in Berlin. A group of German embassy staff in Beijing will come to Wuhan to help with relocating citizens.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on January 26 announced in Tokyo that the government is working with China to arrange flights to take all Japanese citizens to leave Wuhan.
The US State Department announced that it was arranging a flight of 230 people to bring diplomats and citizens to San Francisco on January 28.
Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, is the site of the onset of acute pneumonia caused by the new strain of the corona strain (nCoV) and has caused 81 deaths and more than 2,700 cases of infection. China has blocked Wuhan and many other cities due to fears of widespread disease. Chinese health officials say the possibility of nCoV will spread more and more strongly and that the virus can spread during incubation.
