Governments around the world have been hard at work in evacuating their nationals out of China in hopes of reducing the number of potential infections. The death toll in China has been climbing but recent evacuations spurred hope among those who remain stranded.
Around 60 Supposed Evacuees Fail to Join New Zealand Flight
New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) said at least 60 people failed to join the chartered Air NZ flight the government prepared for evacuees from Wuhan on Wednesday.
According to local public-service radio broadcaster RNZ, a total of 193 nationals have arrived safely in Auckland but the evacuees were not limited to New Zealand nationals. Instead, the passengers were from 12 countries.
Of the passengers that joined the chartered flight, 44 were permanent residents but held Chinese passports, while 54 of the evacuees were citizens of New Zealand.
However, around 60 supposed evacuees checked themselves off the official list of passengers and failed to show up at the airport before the flight. The said passengers also did not provide early notice that they will not get on board.
The other nationals who were evacuated from Wuhan to Auckland will be transported to their respective countries.
Evacuated Americans to Undergo 2-Week Quarantine
In the United States, around 350 Americans have arrived in their country following an evacuation led by the government. The evacuees will be put on quarantine in a military base where they will be monitored for up to two weeks, the New York Times reported.
Before the evacuees were allowed to go on board, they went through strict screening processes at the Wuhan airport, as was implemented when the first White House-arranged flight left for the U.S. last week.
The first chartered flight from Wuhan that left the novel coronavirus' origin city arrived at Southern California's March Air Reserve Base over the weekend. Those on board have since started their 14-day quarantine.
German Flight Confirms Two Infections on the Way Home
Earlier this week, the German Red Cross confirmed that two people on a chartered flight from Wuhan to Frankfurt have tested positive of the 2019-nCoV. The tests were carried out at the military base in Germensheim.
According to Deutsche Welle, a total of 124 people boarded the chartered flight and 115 of the passengers, of which 102 were German citizens, were put on quarantine for further observation.
As of writing, Germany has reported at least 10 cases of the Wuhan coronavirus.
Some Canadians Face Potential Blockage in Riding Chartered Flight
While New Zealand, German, U.S., and some Australian nationals have finally reached home, other nationalities face the possibility of being prohibited from riding chartered flights, particularly a flight organized by the Canadian government.
According to the Globe and Mail, some Canadians who requested for evacuation may not be able to join the flight sponsored by Ottawa as the Chinese government has implemented stricter quarantine rules for people from China who show symptoms related to the new coronavirus.
Under stricter medical screening rules established by Beijing since the coronavirus outbreak, only Chinese citizens who are recognized caregivers of Canadian minors and permanent residents of Canada will be allowed to join chartered flights even if they have coronavirus-like symptoms.
On the other hand, Canadians with no symptoms whatsoever will be allowed to ride the flight back home.
French Chartered Flight Carried Infected Passenger
Meanwhile, some British evacuees who joined the flight chartered by the French government on Sunday told The Guardian they were unaware a Belgian woman on the same plane was infected with the novel coronavirus.
A total of 250 people were evacuated from Wuhan to a military base in Southern France's town of Istres. There were only 11 nationals from the United Kingdom who boarded the plane and they have since been flown to their countries of origin.
So far, none of the British nationals on board the French-chartered flight-tested positive of the coronavirus. However, they expressed dismay over the authorities' failure to inform them promptly about the confirmed patient on board the plane.
