Helpless Amid Wuhan Pneumonia Spread, Foreigners Flee in Mass Exodus

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] As the number of confirmed cases and deaths from the novel coronavirus infection in China is rapidly increasing like a snowball, countries around the world are showing movements to evacuate their nationals from the Wuhan area.

According to AFP and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 26th, the United States has mobilized a charter plane with a capacity of 230 people to begin the procedure of evacuating its nationals staying in the locked-down Wuhan area. The charter plane carrying U.S. nationals from Wuhan is scheduled to depart for San Francisco, USA, on the 28th. It is estimated that about 1,000 Americans currently reside in Wuhan. The U.S. government has already closed the U.S. consulate in Wuhan.

Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on the same day, "Recently, the U.S. side requested the withdrawal and repatriation of U.S. consulate staff stationed in Wuhan," adding, "China is making arrangements and providing necessary cooperation and convenience in accordance with international practices and China’s epidemic prevention regulations."

Since the Chinese government has approved the U.S. plan to repatriate its nationals, it is expected that the atmosphere for other countries to evacuate their nationals from Wuhan will accelerate following the U.S. example.

France is already conducting operations to evacuate its nationals from Wuhan by actively encouraging participation from French companies operating there. The French automobile manufacturer PSA Group has begun evacuating 38 local employees and others from Wuhan. The French Foreign Minister said, "We are in consultation with Chinese authorities on the final option to allow French nationals to leave Wuhan."

The South Korean government also conducted a demand survey for charter flight use among Korean residents in Wuhan, and most of the residents expressed a desire to evacuate. Currently, about 500 Korean residents, including students, self-employed persons, and expatriates, remain in the Wuhan area, and more than 400 of them have expressed willingness to board if a charter flight is operated. South Korea is currently negotiating with China regarding the plan to repatriate its nationals using a charter flight.

Some Korean companies in Wuhan are preparing measures to switch remaining expatriates to work-from-home arrangements after the Lunar New Year holiday or to relocate their families to other regions.

Australia is also preparing measures to evacuate its nationals staying in Wuhan. The Taiwanese authorities have decided to repatriate all 6,000 Chinese group tourists staying in Taiwan by the 28th to minimize the risk of Wuhan pneumonia infection caused by Chinese nationals.

The Chinese government has suspended domestic and overseas group tours to prevent the spread of Wuhan pneumonia. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has instructed the travel industry that from the 27th, all group tour operations, including hotel and flight reservations, are prohibited. Domestic group tour operations have already been suspended since the 24th.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the National Health Commission of China announced that the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus has reached a total of 1,975 across 30 provinces nationwide, and the death toll has risen to 56. Compared to the previous day, confirmed cases increased by 688 and deaths by 15, indicating a rapid transmission rate.