Plane is on its way to rescue South Africans trapped in Wuhan

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa last night assured the country’s citizens that none of the South Africans being repatriated from Wuhan, China, had Covid-19.

Ramaphosa met with the team from the departments of Health and Defence that were sent to Wuhan to repatriate the South African citizens who had asked for help returning home.

“There is no sick person we are bringing back.

“We are bringing back healthy people whose parents, who are like all of us, have said we would like our children to come back. So they are not sick.

“When they come back, we have announced and agreed that we are going to put them in quarantine, and there will be a lockdown that will be supervised by the defence force and there will be Health Department officials, just to take any doubt out.”

Ramaphosa said he wanted to assure people concerned about the quarantine facility that “no disease is going to spill out of that area because they are not sick”.

He added that he had been impressed with the officials from the Airports Company of South Africa and Department of Health who were screening passengers at OR Tambo International Airport for signs of Covid-19.

He said passengers had commended the strict examination processes put in place at the airport.

The repatriation team left last night from the airport to collect the more than 100 South Africans from Wuhan.

A total of 15 officials from the departments of Health and the Defence (Military Health) have been sent to repatriate the South Africans.

In a statement, the department said the flight would stop over in the Philippines today for refuelling, to rest and to re-stock essential foodstuffs needed for the return journey.

It said the government had initially received more than 180 requests from citizens living in Wuhan to be repatriated back to South Africa.

However, over time and having taken into consideration their personal circumstances, some South Africans indicated to the government their decision to rather stay on at their respective commitments in Wuhan.

“After the stop-over in the Philippines, the aircraft will fly to Wuhan City.

“Upon arrival, the team will work with our Chinese counterparts and also the staff of our embassy in China, screening our repatriates and checking required travel documents.

“The flight will leave Wuhan City in the early hours of the morning and land back in South Africa on Friday, March 13,” the department said.

The department said announcements would be made about the arrival of the South Africans in due course.

Repatriated citizens would be quarantined for an initial period of 21 days, which may be extended should any person display symptoms of Covid-19 at the identified site.

“At the appropriate time, the quarantine site will be announced and the details of the site management plan will be shared with members of the public and the media.

“After the mandated quarantined period, those citizens who are cleared will be reintegrated into their communities and be reunited with their families,” the department said.

A 26-YEAR-OLD woman suspected of contracting Covid-19 is under medical care at the Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital in North West, the provincial Health Department said.

The woman was transferred from Joe Morolong Memorial Hospital (JMMH) in Vryburg to Klerksdorp/ Tshepong Hospital.

“She is currently under the care of the medical team. All necessary protective measures have been taken by both Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital Complex and JMMH to deal with the issues involved,” the department said.

North West health MEC Madoda Sambatha urged communities to remain calm and wait for confirmation of laboratory tests. He said only Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize would declare or communicate the results of the coronavirus tests after laboratory results were confirmed by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

“There is no need for the communities in North West to panic. The national minister of health will make the official statement on the matter after consulting NICD,” he said.

Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital is the isolation and treatment centre for those infected with Covid-19 in North West.