French carmaker to evacuate expats from virus-hit Chinese city

The French carmaker PSA, that is also the second-largest in all of Europe has recently decided that it would repatriate all its ex-pat staff from the Chinese city of Wuhan. Wuhan is believed to be the epicentre of the new Chinese Coronavirus that is sweeping across China and has already spread to numerous other nations.

Fears after virus confirmed in France

The French carmaker that manufactures cars for its brands, Peugeot and Citroen said that a total of its 38 staff members and their family members were being evacuated from in and around the Wuhan region with the full cooperation of the Chinese Authorities. The company in a statement claimes that the staff members and their families would first be quarantined to ensure that none of them contained the virus and then allowed to return to their countries of origin.

Three cases of the virus have already been confirmed in France. French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn on Friday announced the first confirmed case of the new virus in Europe.

The US begins evacuating citizens and diplomats

Amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak, the United States government is reportedly now sending a charter flight to the Chinese city of Wuhan in an effort to evacuate its citizens and diplomats. According to international media reports, the plane, with approximately 230 people, will carry diplomats from the US consulates as well as US citizens and their families. Following the negotiations in recent days, the US was also given approval for the operation from China's Foreign Ministry and other government agencies. 

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Deadly new Chinese coronavirus

The deadly SARS-like virus which has already infected thousands and reportedly killed 56 people, however, still does not constitute as a global emergency as of yet. While speaking to an international media outlet, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organisation is not declaring it a public health emergency of international concern siting that while it is an emergency in China, it is yet to become a global health emergency.

Honk Kong on January 25 also declared the virus as an emergency and further upgraded the Hong Kong Disease contingency plan from 'serious' to 'emergency' level. Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam while addressing a press conference further announced that the schools in the city to be suspended until February 17. According to reports, flights are also being stopped across China to try and limit the spread of the virus

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