We reckon there is at least one American citizen who will be excited about the news we are about to share (looking at you, Flora): The US government has organized a charter flight on Sunday to evacuate American citizens and diplomats from Wuhan, ground-zero for the new coronavirus, according to Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
The WSJ notes that approximately 1,000 Americans are thought to be in Wuhan and that the US-arranged flight out of the city will be able to accommodate roughly 230 people. The flight is expected to travel directly to the US, though the exact destination is not specified. It is not known what will happen if more than 230 people express interest in being evacuated.
Those evacuated will include diplomats and their families, as well as other US citizens (and hopefully Flora and her cat).
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The US Consulate General in Wuhan is reportedly reaching out to American citizens that it knows are living in Wuhan to offer them a seat on the flight. The source the WSJ spoke with stated that US citizens who are evacuated will be required to pay for it; the cost is expected to be considerably more than a normal US-China flight.
The plane, a Boeing 767, will reportedly have US medical workers onboard to ensure that anyone on the flight who is infected with the new disease is taken care of and (hopefully) doesn’t spread it.
This evening, South China Morning Post reported that French authorities are planning to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan, which is essentially under lockdown, to Changsha in neighboring Hunan province.
“The consulate general, in collaboration with local authorities, plans to set up a bus service to allow French nationals … and their Chinese and foreign spouses and children to travel from Wuhan to Changsha,” reads an email seen by the Hong Kong-based publication.
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[Cover image via Pixabay]
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