Coronavirus Outbreak: Hong Kong to evacuate 533 citizens from China

Hong Kong is set to evacuate its citizens from China’s Hubei province, the epicentre of the deadly Covid-19 international media reported. According to reports, Hong Kong has arranged four chartered flights to bring back 533 of its citizens stuck in the Chinese province since the outbreak. Meanwhile, the deadly virus has infected nearly 89,000 and killed over 3,000 people globally with a majority in Mainland China. 

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Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, while talking to reporters at a press conference said that the flights would return on March 4 and March 5 following which all the evacuees will be quarantined for 14 days. According to reports, more than 3,800 Hong Kong residents are stranded in over 30 cities across the Hubei province.

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Lam, whose government has been criticised for handling of the epidemic, reportedly said that the government does not feel that they have delayed the return of Hong Kong citizens. She stressed that still there were clear restrictions on exit arrangements from Hubei Province. She added that as soon as the conditions were ready for them to help citizens, they made immediate arrangements. 

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Dog quarantined over coronavirus fears

The Hong Kong government, on February 28, said that the pet dog of a coronavirus patient was found to have “Low Level” of the viral infection, international media reported. Hong Kong’s agricultural and fisheries department released a statement saying that the dog was tested “weak positive” for the Coronavirus. However, the statement did not give further details on whether the pet had actually been infected or not. According to international media reports, officials will carry out further tests to confirm whether the dog had really been infected with the virus or it was just environmental contamination of its nose and mouth. 

Meanwhile, the agriculture department reportedly said that it did not have any evidence whether pets could get infected and turn out to be a source of further infection in humans. The canine has reportedly been quarantined at an animal facility, the Hong Kong Government revealed. The government has also advised citizens to keep pets suspected of having Coronavirus infections under strict quarantine.