30 Lankan students in deadly Wuhan virus epicentre await evacuation

About 30 Sri Lankan students, including some with families, have asked the embassy in China’s capital Beijing to help evacuate them from the provincial city of Wuhan, from where the deadly coronavirus epidemic is rampaging uncontrollably across the country and beyond its borders.

So far, there are no reports of any Sri Lankan student showing signs of infection, a diplomat in Beijing said.

Deaths in China, have now swelled to 41 and the number of infected Chinese has soared to 1,287. By the time this news is published, the numbers would have increased further.

Hong Kong admitted Saturday the disease is just as potent as the deadly SARS virus and declared an emergency and imposed health declarations at all border control points. Penalties are imposed for lying. A microbiologist warns the virus is highly infectious, while in Sri Lanka, health officials say don’t panic.

In Hong Kong, three more people, including a married couple are infected as of Saturday, taking the total to five confirmed. All are from Wuhan.

In Beijing, 34 people are infected. In Wuhan, all vehicles are being banned from the big districts, except those authorised. And on Friday, the state media, says 14,000 hazmat gowns were brought in.

Desperate officials on Friday declared a public health emergency in Hubei province and also in Beijing. In Beijing, even the Forbidden City, the palace complex, which is a museum, is now out of bounds from Saturday.

Helpless Wuhan residents are themselves pleading for help.

In addition to Wuhan University, there are more than 100 institutes of higher learning in the city.

Wuhan, the Hubei capital, was shut down at 10:00am Beijing/Hong Kong time on Thursday. All flights, rail, and public transport were halted.

The Deputy Chief of Mission, of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Beijing, K K Yoganaadan: said on Saturday, referring to the Sri Lankan students: “We have no reports of anyone having any symptoms of the virus infection. Some students are staying in the university hostel and some in their rented apartments.’’

Mr Yoganaadan, told the Sunday Times, the students have requested the embassy to arrange for their return to Sri Lanka.

“We are considering all possibilities of evacuating them to Sri Lanka. Since Wuhan is closed down and there are no air or ground transport available, our efforts to immediately evacuate them has not succeeded. However, we are continuously monitoring the situation.’’

There are no SriLankan Airlines flights to Wuhan.

Travellers estimate that it would take about an hour 50 minutes to fly to Beijing, if and when the Wuhan lockdown is lifted. By train, it would be about a four- and- a- half hour journey to Hong Kong. But from Hong Kong, there are no SriLankan Airlines flights, which were ended about late 2018, handing Cathay Pacific Airways an aviation gift.

SriLankan Airlines flies to Beijing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. A February economy class ticket would cost Rs 195,340. It is an about 8 hour flight one way.

SriLankan Airlines also operates flights to Shanghai ( Wednesday, Thursday and Friday), and to Guangzhou (daily, and the flight is about 5 hours 40mts one way).

Shanghai declared a public health emergency on Friday.

From Wuhan to Beijing by train would be about a four-hour trip.

The Sri Lanka Embassy in Beijing has created a WeChat group to keep in contact with all Sri Lanka students in Wuhan.

“We have collected their names, universities, local address and contact numbers. We have been advising them the precautions they should take to protect them from the infection and to follow health advisories of the local authorities,’’ Mr Yoganaadan said.

He said the embassy is in touch with Hubei Province Foreign Affairs Office and coordinating with them. “We have also provided the names and contact particulars of the Sri Lanka students in Wuhan to them.’’

The embassy is also is touch with the Wuhan Municipality.

Mr Yoganaadan said that as far as the embassy is aware there are no Sri Lankans employed in Hubei.

“There are around 85 Sri Lankan students in Hubei province and as per the information we have, most of them have gone back to Sri Lanka for their university holidays,’’ he said.