"Chinese National Who Took Antipyretics to Evade Airport Quarantine in Wuhan and Flew to France"

Temperature screening by Beijing airport authorities for passengers arriving from Wuhan, China, on the 22nd (local time) / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] It was revealed belatedly that a Chinese tourist from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, took antipyretics to evade airport quarantine and left for France.

The tourist has spread controversy by revealing this fact through their SNS.

According to the British BBC and others, the tourist, Mr. A, posted on the Chinese SNS 'WeChat' on the 23rd (local time) that he had symptoms of cough and high fever just before leaving China, but after taking medicine, his fever subsided and he was able to pass airport quarantine safely.

According to the media, Mr. A also posted a photo of himself dining at a high-end restaurant in Lyon, about 400 km away from Paris, France.

Novel Coronavirus / Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding this, Mr. A explained the circumstances of passing through the airport, saying, "Before leaving, I had fever and cough symptoms and was so scared that I hurriedly took medicine and kept checking my body temperature." "Fortunately, my temperature went down and I was able to depart smoothly."

As the controversy spread, the Chinese Embassy in France stepped in to manage the situation. The Chinese Embassy stated on its official website that "There have been multiple inquiry calls to the embassy regarding social media posts claiming that a woman from Wuhan deliberately took antipyretics," and "We contacted the woman and arranged for her to be examined at a French emergency clinic."

The Chinese Embassy added in a follow-up notice the next day that the tourist's high fever and cough symptoms had disappeared and that she was not in a condition requiring additional tests.

Meanwhile, Wuhan is known as the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, so-called 'Wuhan pneumonia.' The city of Wuhan, China, has currently imposed a lockdown, suspending flights, trains, and public transportation heading outside the city.

According to data announced by the Chinese National Health Commission on the 25th, the death toll from Wuhan pneumonia has reached 41. The number of confirmed patients increased by 444 in one day, reaching 1,118. The number of reported suspected patients is 1,965.