Plane Carrying South Africans From Wuhan Expected To Arrive Today

A chartered South African Airways (SAA) flight that left for the Chinese city of Wuhan is en route to South Africa and is scheduled to arrive with 122 citizens.

Government’s inter-ministerial task team dealing with the coronavirus said when the evacuees arrive on home soil, they will be taken to a resort in Polokwane where they will be quarantined for 21 days.

This period may be extended should any person display symptoms of COVID-19.

There is a large military and police contingent that has cordoned off the ranch resort from the public.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) says Europe is now the ‘epicenter’ of the global coronavirus pandemic.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged countries to use aggressive measures, community mobilisation and social distancing to save lives.

‘Our message to countries continues to be: you must take a comprehensive approach. Not testing alone, not quarantine alone, not social distancing alone – you must do it all.”

His comments came as several European countries report steep rises in infections and deaths.
Italy has recorded its highest daily toll yet.

There were 250 deaths recorded over the past 24 hours, taking the total to 1,200, with 17,660 infections overall.

EWN