Maldivians in Wuhan evacuated, taken to New Delhi

Seven Maldivians in the locked-down city of Wuhan, China has been evacuated and taken to New Delhi, India.

Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid made the early morning announcement that the second Air India flight evacuating Indians from the city of Wuhan, would also evacuate seven of the nine Maldivians in the Chinese city, which is in locked down following the outbreak of the Coronavirus.

The Indian embassy in the Maldives stated that "as a humanitarian gesture, in response to a request by the Government of the Maldives, seven Maldivians stranded in Wuhan have been evacuated and brought to New Delhi today".

The statement also read that as a precautionary measure, the Maldivian students will be kept in quarantine at a dedicated facility created in Manesar, near New Delhi, for a stipulated period along with the Indian nationals brought on the same flight. 

While a total of nine Maldivians were in Wuhan, the seven evacuated were the ones who wished to leave. The remaining two had requested to remain in the city.

Maldivian Foreign Ministry also stated that discussions were underway with the Chinese government to ensure the safety of Maldivians in other cities across China. The Ministry stated that the Chinese government had assured that the Maldivians would be safe.

Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives, Mr. Zhang Lizhong has also stated that Maldives and China were working hand in hand for the evacuation of the thousands of Chinese tourists in the Maldives and the seven Maldivians who wished to leave Wuhan. The Ambassador stated that those who wished to stay would be taken care of by the Chinese government. 

The Maldivians were evacuated along with Indian nationals in the second evacuation flight conducted by India. India evacuated around 300 Indian nationals yesterday as well.

Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid thanked the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Mr. Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to the Maldives for the evacuation of the Maldivians in Wuhan.

The Foreign Minister also thanked Chinese Ambassador Zhang Lizhong, Maldivian Ambassador to India, Ms. Aishath Mohamed Didi, Maldivian Ambassador to China Aishath Azeema and Indian Ambassador to China Mr. Gautam Bambawale. 

In other news, Philipines reported the first death from the virus outside of mainland China today. The death toll from China's coronavirus outbreak also rose to 304, as foreign nations imposed extraordinary travel restrictions on China, and airlines suspended flights.

At least 304 people in China were confirmed dead in the 24 hours to the end of February 1. Thousands more were confirmed infected, bringing the total to 14,380 people.