Coronavirus

Japan to Get Nationals Out of Coronavirus Epicenter Wuhan ‘By Every Means’

Published

4 years ago

January 26, 2020

JAPAN Forward

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: Hospital staff wash the emergency entrance of Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, in Wuhan, China, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Dake Kang)

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: In this Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, photo, travelers wearing face masks walk with their luggage at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan in southern China's Hubei province. (Chinatopix via AP)

: In this Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, photo, a worker monitors display screens for infrared thermometers as they check travelers at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan in southern China's Hubei province. (Chinatopix via AP)

: Malaysian Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad, second from right, speaks during a press conference about the new virus infection on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020 in Putrajaya, Malaysia. (AP Photo/Joshua Paul)

Japan will evacuate “by every means” its nationals who are in Wuhan City, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus in China’s Hubei province.

This was announced by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday night, January 26, saying his government was “coordinating with the Chinese government at various levels” to swiftly make this possible, even if it involves arranging a “chartered flight.”

The Japanese government said there were 710 Japanese nationals in Wuhan as of Friday, January 24. Agence France-Presse reported that a foreign ministry official told them that 430 Japanese were in the province of Hubei.

Wuhan, with a population of 11 million, was the first city in China to be locked down in an attempt to contain the deadly virus, whose characteristics scientists and doctors around the world are collaborating to understand.

Various reports said 18 cities in Hubei are now on lockdown, effectively implementing travel restrictions on 56 million people.

“We have decided to send back all Japanese citizens in Wuhan to Japan if they wish so, by every means, including a chartered flight,” Abe said in a press briefing in Tokyo Sunday.

The virus has infected more than 2,000 people globally so far and killed 56 in China since the outbreak started in Wuhan.

As of Sunday, Japan has reported four cases of infection since the outbreak in China. All cases involve persons who have traveled from Wuhan, either as returning residents or as tourists.

Agence France-Presse reported that some 160 Japan-linked companies have offices in Wuhan.

Author: JAPAN Forward