South Africa on Thursday (February 27th) ordered the repatriation of some 130 of its citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic which has spread to around 50 countries, the presidency announced.
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Head of State Cyril Ramaphosa made this decision "following several requests from South African families in the city," said his services in a statement.
The government has identified 199 of its nationals confined to Wuhan but only 132 of them have expressed the wish to return, according to the same source. "None (of these 132) have been diagnosed with the virus, or have symptoms," said the presidency, adding however that the returnees would be placed in quarantine for three weeks upon their return. To date, no confirmed cases of Covid-19 virus have been reported in South Africa. Only two people have been officially infected across the African continent, one in Egypt, the other in Algeria, for no deaths.
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The new coronavirus has infected 82,560 people and left 2,813 dead worldwide, almost all in China, according to a report prepared by AFP from official sources Thursday late afternoon.
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