Coronavirus: Nepali citizens evacuated from China, sent to quarantine at Bhaktapur

Wuhan city is considered as the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

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, reported The Himalayan Times.

In a press release, the Embassy of Nepal in China said the flight departed for Nepal at 00:52 AM (China Standard Time).

The Embassy arranged six separate vehicles to bring the Nepali nationals from different cities of Hubei Province to the airport.

The numbers of Nepali nationals from the six cities who boarded the flight are as follows: Wuhan -55, Enshi – 26, Shiyan – 29, Yichang -8, Jingmen -9, and Jingzhou – 48. Of them, 134 are male and 41 are female.

"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," read the statement.

One hundred thousand pieces of face masks donated by the Government of Nepal to the Chinese Government through the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu were brought to Wuhan on the same flight, and were handed over to Hubei Charity Federation at the airport.

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, reported The Himalayan Times.

“Arrangements have been made in a way that students who were living in the same hostel in China stay here together,” Mahendra Shrestha, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population, told the newspaper.