Coronavirus Outbreak: US arranging charter flight to evacuate American Diplomats and Citizens out of China

The United States has started plans to evacuate its citizens and diplomats living in Wuhan, the Chinese city from which the deadly strain of Coronavirus originated from.

Coronavirus, a SARS-like disease, has killed over 50 people in China already with 2000 cases of infection confirmed already, with the Chinese government putting the city of Wuhan under lockdown as they try to contain the deadly virus.

But the US, in keeping with principles of protecting its diplomats and citizens all over the world, has finalized plans to evacuate about three dozen diplomats and their families from the US consulate in Wuhan, China and even though the city is in lockdown the Chinese government has been very supportive of the US’ move.

According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Consulate in Wuhan reached out to Diplomats living there to inform them they’ll be given free tickets on a plane back home but informed non-diplomat Americans interested in going home that they will be billed for the flight.

On Thursday, the US State Department ordered non-emergency personnel and their families to depart the Hubei Province of China, of which Wuhan is the provincial capital, due to the coronavirus epidemic, it also raised the travel advisory for the Hubei province to “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” warning that the “U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Hubei province.”

The coronavirus is turning to a global epidemic with new cases reported in France, UK, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and the US. No case has been reported in Nigeria yet.