Nepalis evacuated from Hubei, sent to quarantine at Bhaktapur
KATHMANDU: A total of 175 Nepalis have been evacuated from Hubei Province of China, the epicentre of coronavirus outbreak. A chartered plane of Nepal Airlines landed early today morning bringing the Nepalis home. Of the 175 nationals evacuated, 170 are students, one employee, two visitors, and two are children.
Nepali nationals were evacuated from six cities of the province including Wuhan (55), Enshi (26), Shiyan (29), Yichang (8), Jingmen (9) and Jingzhou (48). Of them, 134 are males and 41 females, states a press release issued by the Embassy of Nepal in China.
From among the 185 applicants, four later decided to stay back in China while six could not board the plane due to medical reasons.
An airbus A330 had taken off from Tribhuvan International Airport to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport on Saturday afternoon. Three pilots, six crew members, an engineer, a loadmaster and a health team comprising a doctor, nurses and paramedics from Nepal Army had flown to Wuhan.
Those evacuated have been taken to Nepal Electricity Authority Training Centre, Kharipati for quarantine after undergoing a health check-up at the health desks in TIA.
According to a notice issued by the Ministry of Health and Population, the evacuees would be kept for 14 to 17 days, or longer, in quarantine. Those evacuated will stay in 60 rooms, with six persons sharing one restroom. Each evacuee has been provided with masks, hand sanitisers, towels, soaps, and slippers.
Those quarantined should record their body temperature twice a day and should immediately inform the medical team if they think they have any symptoms of COVID-19.
“Arrangements have been made in a way that students who were living in the same hostel in China stay here together,” said Mahendra Shrestha, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population.
The evacuees, however, will not be allowed to meet their parents and guardians during the quarantine period and will be under CCTV surveillance round the clock, according to health ministry.
The government has also made provisions for psychological counselling in the centre. The health ministry, issuing a notice, has said the evacuees to abide by the rules and regulations during their stay in quarantine. A time-table has been fixed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also, the evacuees can pass their time by playing various games in the centre.
The quarantine facility has ample workers to feed them and to ensure that they have internet, television, and they will carry out the daily works of the facility, according to the health ministry.
The government formally initiated the process of evacuating its citizens from China on February 1 when the Nepali Embassy in Beijing told Nepalis living in Hubei to submit applications if they wished to return home.
The disease has spread rapidly across China, claiming at least 1,500 lives and infecting at least 66,492 people. Four deaths have been recorded outside mainland China - in Hong Kong, Philippines, Japan and France.
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