Sat 01 February 2020:
Indonesia to quarantine evacuees in military base
Indonesian officials said that around 250 of its nationals being evacuated from China’s Hubei province, the centre of the coronavirus epidemic, will be quarantined in its Natuna Islands military base.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said all the evacuees, along with five officials arranging their return on the Batik Air flight, were healthy and that further medical checks would be conducted on board the plane and at their arrival in Indonesia.
China flies citizens home to virus-hit Wuhan
China has flown two planeloads of its citizens back home to the locked-down province of Hubei, where they were greeted by authorities in full-body protective suits.
A Xiamen Airlines charter flight from Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, touched down in the provincial capital Wuhan.
A second Xiamen flight landed soon afterwards carrying Hubei residents from Kota Kinabalu, a popular coastal tourist destination in Malaysia.
The Australian government said it would bar non-citizens arriving from China from entering the country under new measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus epidemic.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said only “Australian citizens, Australian residents, dependents, legal guardians or spouses” would be permitted into the country from China from Saturday.
“The arrangements are being put in place through our border authorities to ensure that that can be actioned,” he added. “Those that do return will be required to go into self isolation for 14 days.”
Turkey evacuates citizens from Wuhan
A cargo plane with 42 passengers left for Turkey after evacuating Turkish citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The evacuees were screened by Turkish health experts using a team of six experts assigned to run blood tests and scan the health conditions to eliminate the potential risk in Turkey.
UK withdraws some staff from China embassy
Britain is withdrawing some staff from its embassy and consulates in China due to the coronavirus, the UK government said in a statement.
“Essential staff needed to continue critical work will remain,” it said.
“In the event that the situation deteriorates further, the ability of the British Embassy and Consulates to provide assistance to British nationals from within China may be limited.”
China criticises latest US response to coronavirus outbreak
Beijing criticised Washington’s order barring entry to most foreigners who visited China in the past two weeks, and “unfriendly comments” that its government is failing to cooperate in the crisis.
The Chinese government said the decision contradicted the WHO’s appeal to avoid travel bans.
US imposes travel restrictions as coronavirus cases rise
The United States took drastic steps that will temporarily bar foreign nationals who have traveled in China within the last 14 days.
Americans returning from China will be allowed into the country, but will face screening at select ports of entry and required to undertake 14 days of self-screening to ensure they do not pose a health risk.
Those returning from Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine.
Beginning on Sunday, the US will also begin funneling all flights to the US from China to seven major airports where passengers can be screened for illness.
More airlines suspend China flights
Qantas Airways said it will suspend its two direct flight routes from Australia to mainland China from February 9 in response to travel restrictions imposed by some countries due to the coronavirus crisis.
The Australian national carrier’s direct flights from Sydney to Beijing and Sydney to Shanghai will be halted until March 29, it said in a statement published on Saturday.
The Philippine airline company, Cebu Pacific, also said on Saturday that it has canceled flight to and from mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong from Sunday, February 2 to March 29.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
