South Africa will evacuate 151 citizens from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan within days, the health minister said on Sunday.
The decision to airlift the trapped South Africans came after President Cyril Ramaphosa directed the repatriation of those who have asked to return home.
"We were asked by the president to start the process immediately -- within seven to 10 days must have completed the task,"The minister told a news conference that there were 201 South Africans in Wuhan -- the epicentre of the virus -- and that"151 have indicated they want to be repatriated".The group will be kept in quarantine for 21 days at a site authorities have refused to disclose.
"The people we are bringing in are South Africans who are healthy and as far as we are concerned, are not infected," Mkhize said.
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