Germany plans new flight for citizens still in Wuhan
February 6, 2020
Germany’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the federal government is planning to repatriate any remaining citizens and their family members in Wuhan.
A spokesperson for the ministry told German news agency dpa there were still "a few people" stranded in the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis.
The spokesperson said those remaining in the locked-down Chinese city included people who had checked in only after Saturday’s repatriation flight or who had not managed to reach the airport on time.
Read more: Africans in Wuhan: Homesick and fearful of coronavirus
Remaining citizens to join British flight
According to German newspaper Der Spiegel, an estimated 20 German citizens are still in Wuhan. The report added that those who didn’t want to remain in Wuhan contacted Germany’s Foreign Office, prompting the crisis committee into action.
The Spiegel report said the remaining Germans may now be able to fly out with their relatives on a plane carrying out a group of British citizens over the weekend.
The evacuees would immediately be put in a quarantine for 14 days in a hospital in Berlin-Köpenick, the Spiegel said.
According to the report, talks are already underway with British authorities.
Read more: How will the coronavirus affect the world economy
Number of cases in Germany rises
Germany now has a total of 13 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Eleven of the cases are connected to the automotive parts supplier Webasto in the southern state of Bavaria.
Webasto received a visit from a Chinese trainer, who only began experiencing symptoms during her flight back home. The patients are being treated in Frankfurt.
In Germany’s latest coronavirus case, a 38-year-old woman married to a Webasto employee tested positive on Thursday in Bavaria. Two of the couple’s three chilren were also infected with the virus.
The entire family is in quarantine in the company's Trostberg hospital. The children and mother are reported to be symptom-free while the father’s health condition is reported to be stable.
mvb (AFP, dpa)
Every evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.