Coronavirus: Iran to Send Plane to Evacuate Citizens from China

Iran’s Health Minister Saeid Namaki says the country is set to send a plane with full quarantine facilities to bring back 70 Iranian citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the heart of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

File photo of a Turkish plane sent to China's Wuhan to evacuate people from the heartland of Coronavirus

“Today a direct flight, with a medical team on board and with full medical equipment and masks, will fly to China’s Wuhan in order to expatriate 70 Iranians from the Chinese city,” Namaki said on Saturday.

“These people will remain quarantined for two weeks, and if not affected by coronavirus, they will be free to get back to their families,” he added.

He said no coronavirus case has been reported in Iran so far, and urged people not to be worried at all.

Earlier, Iran’s Roads minister had noted that health ministry teams have been deployed in all land borders, ports and airports, including Imam Khomeini Airport, to monitor and take necessary measures against the deadly coronavirus.

Mohammad Eslami said “all flights are controlled and suspicious cases are investigated.”

“Fortunately, no suspicious case of coronavirus affection has been reported so far, but more intensive monitoring will be carried out.”

He noted the halt of flights from China has been announced to the Chinese government.

The death toll from China’s deadly coronavirus outbreak has risen to over 250.

The central province of Hubei, the centre of the epidemic, is under a virtual quarantine, with roads sealed off and public transport shut down. Elsewhere in China, authorities have placed restrictions on travel and business activity in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.

Officials have confirmed over 1,300 new cases of coronavirus infection, raising the total number to nearly 12,000. Apart from China, there have been dozens of confirmed cases in nearly 30 countries around the world.

Many countries have declared a state of emergency over the outbreak and limited flights from/to China.

The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency on Thursday but did not advise international imposition of travel restrictions.

The virus that broke out in the central Chinese city of Wuhan causes severe acute respiratory infection. There is no specific cure or vaccine for the deadly illness yet.

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