Wuhan evacuees arrive
Passengers evacuated from the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak are ‘‘relieved to be in New Zealand’’, a government official says.
An Air New Zealand flight carrying 198 passengers, including five pilots, 11 cabin crew, and medical engineering staff, touched down in Auckland just after 6pm yesterday.
At the airport, Ministry of Health’s director-general Ashley Bloomfield said nobody on the flight had become unwell and there were no suspected cases.
‘‘I met with some of those who had arrived and they’re all very relieved to be in New Zealand, just very tired,’’ he said.
Bloomfield said one person had been unable to board the flight due to health reasons but he did not know if they were from New Zealand.
About 60 people who had expressed interest in going on the flight did not turn up, Bloomfield said. There were no further plans to bring anyone home.
Passenger Aaron Mahon, who was on board the flight, told TVNZ’s 1 News everyone clapped when the plane landed, which was ‘‘such a wonderful feeling".
He said: ‘‘The staff are amazing, so personal and so helpful. Every person was so safe on the flight’’.
The Air New Zealand flight evacuated close to 200 New Zealanders, Australians and Pacific Island nationals from Wuhan.
All evacuees will be quarantined for 14 days at a military facility on the Whangapara¯ oa Peninsula, north Auckland, with the exception of those from Australia. Australian passengers were to be transferred directly onto a flight to Australia.
By 7pm, passengers were being processed at a building away from the main airport terminal.
‘‘They’re receiving health information and then will be heading to the centre,’’ Bloomfield said.
There was a police presence at the airport, with at least two unmarked police cars and a motorbike.
At 8.15pm, the first two buses departed the airport and headed to their temporary home.
The buses were flanked by an aviation security vehicle and a police escort.
Meanwhile, as the sun set on Whangapara¯oa, residents had mixed feelings on the arrival of evacuees from Wuhan.
‘‘It’s the unknown that gets me,’’ said Masi Alacoze, who was fishing on the beach with his two sons.
He was not happy about the arrival of the dozens of evacuees.
In his view, the virus was not as serious as Sars but he was worried about how it might mutate.
He believed the Government reacted too late to the outbreak.
Down the beach, John and Del Cloete were more relaxed as they walked their dogs.
‘‘They’ve got to put them somewhere,’’ Del Cloete said. ‘‘It’s not like they’re going to be allowed down to the shops.’’
Novel coronavirus is believed to have originated from a live animal market in Wuhan, China.
Kiwis returning from China have been told to self-isolate for two weeks to cover the incubation period of the virus which has so far killed about 500 people.