Govt secures repatriation aircraft for South Africans in Wuhan

An aircraft with the capacity to bring back South Africans from the coronavirus hit Wuhan City in China has been secured.

“An interdisciplinary team of relevant departments – including health, home affairs, social development and the defence force – will form part of the repatriation team from China to South Africa,” the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) said.

The team will work with Chinese authorities to screen the South Africans before they depart the epicentre of Wuhan.

“With the support of the South African embassy in China, a ground transport plan is being put in place to ensure that all citizens who are to be evacuated are safely brought to a central collection point, from where they will be transported home,” NatJOINTS said.

A total of 184 South Africans have indicated their desire to be repatriated back home. Most of these South Africans are students, teachers and other professionals working in Wuhan.

At this stage, only seven South Africans in Wuhan have opted to remain there.

“The department of health is continuing to monitor the situation closely and has put plans in place to deal with any possible detection of the virus.

“Port health has also doubled its efforts to screen all the travellers at all ports of entry,” NatJOINTS said.

Travellers visiting the country are being subjected to health screenings before they are allowed to enter.

The two South Africans working on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, who initially tested positive for Covid-19 have now tested negative and will shortly be making their way home.

“Negotiations with a number of service providers to serve as a quarantine area have not yet been concluded. At this stage, the technical team is working hard to finalise this critical area of work and there is no specific venue that has been confirmed,” NatJOINTS said.

NatJOINTS has discouraged any speculation about possible sites, which some media houses have been reporting on their respective platforms.

Family members who require information about loved ones who will be repatriated can contact the department of international relations and cooperation at ciccn@dirco.gov.za or telephonically on 012-351-1754.

– SAnews.gov.za

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.