With two Czech students stuck in China’s Wuhan amidst the coronavirus outbreak, France has now accepted the request of the Czech Republic to ensure their evacuation together with French citizens.
The two Czech students from Wuhan, who showed an interest in an evacuation, will be transported from China by a plane dispatched by France.
“We can confirm that France accepted our request to ensure their evacuation together with French citizens. At the moment, we are negotiating the logistics of the evacuation. I expect the transport to happen in the middle of this week,” said Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Tomáš Petříček.
According to Petříček, the ministry also currently deals with other evacuation requirements, including the subsequent two-week quarantine of all evacuees.
“There will most likely be a 14-day quarantine in France,” the Minister said. However, the French authorities are yet to specify the details.
Petříček further added that the Czech Republic will bear the cost of evacuating the two students, which Czech law permits in certain situations.
Nevertheless, the Foreign Ministry will discuss with both students whether they will participate in paying expenses of the evacuation. Petříček also stated that two other Czech citizens, who are in the area affected by the virus, are not interested in the evacuation because they live in China long-term.
The Czech authorities also confirmed that Czech diplomats will not yet be withdrawn from the areas hit by the virus.
“At the moment, our diplomats stay in their offices. We have issued stricter measures, especially concerning hygiene, to avoid exposure to the infection,” concluded Petříček.
