Foreigners return amid coronavirus outburst in China

By SM Najmus Sakib and Munza Mushtaq

DHAKA, Bangladesh/COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AA) - Nationals of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who were stranded in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus, were brought back on Saturday amid the intensified situation of those infected with the virus.

Separate airplanes of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had left Wuhan, with evacuees of the countries, and arrived in Dhaka, and Colombo, respectively, on Saturday as the fear of coronavirus outburst continues in China.

The coronavirus, so named because under the microscope it resembles a crown, has killed at least 259 people in China, with nearly 12,000 infected. More than 118,000 people are under medical observation.

Since its outbreak late last year, China has put Wuhan under lockdown in a bid to contain the virus and is building a 1,000-bed hospital to treat those affected.

Beyond China, the virus has spread to Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the U.S., Singapore, France, Vietnam, and Canada.

Travelers from China are being screened for the virus at airports worldwide. Several airlines have suspended flights to Wuhan.

- Dhaka, Bangladesh

A special aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on Saturday brought back a total of 316 Bangladeshis, mostly students, from Wuhan.

Among the 316 Bangladeshis, eight have been sent to Kurmitola General Hospital in Dhaka as they had high fever.

Dr. A. S. M. Alamgir, the principal officer of Department of Medical Entomology Institute of Epidemiology at the Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) confirmed.

The special flight with a total of 316 Bangladeshi nationals landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Earlier, on Friday night, the special flight with 15 crew members and four physicians left Dhaka for Wuhan, the officer told Anadolu Agency.

Among the returnees, there are 301 adults, 12 children and three infants.

The returnees would be taken from the airport to the Ashkona Hajj camp, a special area with high security and care to be quarantined for the next 14 days, said Health Minister of Bangladesh Dr. Zahid Maleque, while speaking at the press briefing in Dhaka on Friday.

A team of the army and police, apart from physicians, will provide high security and healthcare support to the Bangladeshi returnees brought from China, he added.

Earlier, some 450 Bangladeshi students in Wuhan appealed through social media to return to Bangladesh as they claimed they were having difficult times at the lockdown city.

Later, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the Foreign Ministry to contact China to bring them back. And, the return happened after Bangladesh received Chinese approval.

- Colombo, Sri Lanka

A total of 33 Sri Lankan students, living and studying in the coronavirus hit-Wuhan province of China, returned to Sri Lanka on Saturday morning after being evacuated from the province following a request by the Sri Lankan government to China.

The students arrived in the country on a special flight of Sri Lankan Airlines, the national carrier of the South Asian nation. The flight with the students landed this morning at the Mattala International Airport, located in Southern district of Hambantota.

Airport officials told Anadolu Agency that the students underwent an initial health screening soon after their arrival at the airport and were then transported in a bus to the Diyatalawa Army Camp located some 205 kilometers (127 miles) from Colombo. They will be kept under observation to ensure they have not contracted the virus.

Director-General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe announced Saturday that the Chinese female, who tested positive for the coronavirus, and received treatment at Infectious Diseases Hospital in Sri Lanka, has completely recovered and is ready to be discharged.

- Delhi, India

In the meantime, a total of 324 Indians, the majority of whom were students, arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Gurgaon, near Delhi, in the wee hours on Saturday in a specially-prepped Air India Boeing 747 flight.

After an initial screening at the airport, the evacuated people were straightaway taken to quarantine facilities, created by the Indian Armed Forces, to be kept under observation across two locations on the outskirts of Delhi.

- South Korea

South Korea on Saturday has evacuated more 333 citizens through a second chartered plane from Wuhan, according to local media.

Seoul has completed the evacuation mission to bring back its about 700 nationals from Wuhan, the local Yonhap News Agency reported.

On Friday, South Korea brought 368 citizens, and 18 of them were sent to hospital after showing signs of fever, but 11 of them were tested negative who later shifted to a quarantine shelter in Jincheon, south of Seoul, the agency added.

* Islamuddin Sajid contributed to this report.