Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said his officials are in talks with French authorities to secure seats on a French plane for a small number of Irish citizens who have indicated that they wish to be evacuated from Wuhan in China.
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| Irish Citizens To Be Evacuated From Wuhan In China Over Coronavirus. |
Countries around the world are evacuating their citizens as fears of the spread of the coronavirus rise.
The disease that has now killed more than 170 people in China, infected more than 6,000 people and spread to at least 16 countries.
Speaking in Waterford, Mr Coveney said that the plane would leave France tomorrow. He indicated that the Irish citizens would be flown to France, where they would likely be quarantined for a fortnight, but he said this had not yet been decided.
Mr Coveney stressed there was nothing to suggest that any Irish citizens had been infected with the virus.
He said Department of Foreign Affairs officials had "reached out" to Irish citizens in the affected region in China through the Irish embassy in Beijing.
The Tánaiste said he was confident that Irish officials can support any Irish citizens anywhere in China, but particularly in Wuhan, and can find a way to help them to leave China, if they wish.
He said that process was being undertaken with other EU countries who also have citizens who wish to leave China and were making their own arrangements to do so.
France, he said, had been mentioned because a plane is leaving France for China tomorrow and he was confident of securing seats on that plane for a number of Irish citizens, "in the low single figures", who had asked for help and support to leave.
Mr Coveney said it was necessary to seek support from other EU countries because there were no scheduled flights between Ireland and the areas affected.
He said the evacuation efforts were being coordinated at an EU level.
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Mr Coveney said when people travel from China to the EU they would have to ensure they go through "appropriate health measures" to ensure they are not carrying infection.
He said nothing had been finalised or confirmed as yet in relation to quarantine arrangements.
Some 250 French citizens and 100 other Europeans will be flown out of Wuhan on board two French planes this week.
Around 210 American citizens arrived at a military base in California from China yesterday where they were met by emergency vehicles with personnel in white biological hazard suits.
They will be monitored for symptoms and sent to local hospitals if they are found to be ill, the Pentagon said.
More than 200 Japanese nationals were also brought home, but only a handful of them were hospitalised for tests after they reported feeling unwell or showed flu-like symptoms.
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