Beijing, Feb 16 (UNI) The authorities of Nepal have evacuated 175 citizens from China's Wuhan in the wake of coronavirus (COVID-19), the Nepalese embassy in Beijing said on Sunday.
Those evacuated are mostly students of the universities of Wuhan and neighboring cities.
"One hundred and seventy-five Nepali nationals from six different cities across Hubei Province of the People’s Republic of China were airlifted from Wuhan this morning by a charter flight of Nepal Airlines. Of the 175 nationals, 170 are students, 1 employee, 2 visitors, and 2 children," the embassy said in a statement.
According to the statement, necessary procedures including temperature checks were completed before boarding the plane.
"Upon arrival in Nepal, they will be kept in quarantine for at least 14 days. Out of the 185 applicants, four later decided to stay back in China whereas six could not board the plane due to medical reasons," the embassy added.
The aircraft also delivered 100,000 face masks donated by the government of Nepal to China.
The new strain of coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan, located in the province of Hubei, in December and has since spread to more than 25 countries. In mainland China, the virus has already resulted in 1665 fatalities, with 68,500 people having been infected.
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