62 Afghans in Wuhan to be brought home

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that 62 Afghan students stuck in the Wuhan City of China would be brought back to the country at the earliest possible.

On Monday, the death toll from the deadly outbreak of coronavirus jumped to 80 as 2,500 others infected with the virus were confirmed.

China asked its people not to travel to Wuhan where the virus first surfaced and also told residents of this city to stay indoors.

In a statement, MoFA said acting minister Haroon Chakhansouri held an emergency meeting on immediate assistance to the Afghan citizens and students in Wuhan who were prone to coronavirus.

Chakhansouri talked to relevant directors to take comprehensive corrective measures in coordination with the Afghan embassy in Beijing, Ministry of Public Health and the Chinese embassy in Kabul.

Referring to the emergency situation in Wuhan, Chakhansouri issued necessary instructions regarding the evacuation of 62 Afghan students stuck in the city.

As residents of Wuhan were are quarantined, the minister tasked the Afghan ambassador to China with staking steps, including land and air transport of students, as soon as the quarantine state was lifted and provide immediate assistance to the students still in Wuhan.

Mashal Jamalzai, an Afghan student in Wuhan, said 50 Afghan students and four families were living there. The Afghan students along with other residents had been quarantined by the government of China, he added.

Health authorities around the world are taking action to prevent a global pandemic as the new virus continues to spread, with cases reported in Australia, France, the United States and seven Asia countries besides China.

Dr. Firozuddin Firoz, the public health minister, said: “We did not see any effects here and none of our citizens is infected with the virus. It is not very serious. We hope the virus would be controlled in China as well.”

He added technical teams had been tasked at all airports of the country to examine passengers arriving from China.

“If a person is found infected with the virus, he/she would be quarantined, we also had meetings with WHO and the public health minister sought its assistance,” he said.

What is coronavirus?

Headache, cough, sore throat, fever and a general feeling of being unwell are be signs of a coronavirus infection. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is another symptom of the infection.

How the virus could be controlled?

There are no vaccines available for battling this virus, therefore fast diagnosis and treatment in quarantine are the only solutions.

Sa

Views: 4