Health Ministry rules out evacuating Nepalis from China at the moment

Health Ministry rules out evacuating Nepalis from China at the moment

As countries around the world scramble to protect their citizens from China due to a coronovirus outbreak, the Nepal government has no immediate plans to bring back Nepalese from cities across China, including Wuhan.

Officials of the Ministry of Health currently refused to expel Nepalis from China.

"Currently, there is hardly any difference between being in China or being back in the country," said Health Ministry spokesman, Mahendra Prasad Shrestha.

Since it was first revealed in December last year, the 'novel coronavirus' has so far killed 56 people and infected 1,975 people in China. From Wuhan, the virus has spread to more than 12 countries including Nepal.

Authorities in Kathmandu have so far confirmed a case of the virus in a Nepali student who returned from Wuhan earlier this month. Two other Nepalis, a man and a woman, have been suspected of the virus, who have also returned from China.

It could not be immediately confirmed how many Nepalis are presently in China, but officials say that the majority of them are students.

According to Sushil Lamshal, Deputy Head of Mission at the Nepalese Embassy in Beijing, about 100 Nepalese, most of them students, are living in Wuhan and are in contact with the embassy.

"We all have records in Wuhan of Nepalis living and working and the number was around 120 years ago," Lamsal told the Post by phone from Beijing. “At least 20 Nepalese have either left for Nepal or other cities for the Chinese New Year holiday. So we believe there are about 100 Nepalese in Wuhan. "

Most Nepalis in Wuhan are medical students. Indian restaurants have different working abilities and others are businessmen.

Pramila Devkota, a Nepali student in Wuhan, said that Nepalese are worried about living in the city.

"We are so stressed that my husband and I were able to sleep for only two hours last night," Devkota told the Post on phone from Wuhan. "We have not been in the market for the past several days due to fear of contracting the virus."

Devkota said he is unaware of whether a Nepali in Wuhan has contracted the virus.

"We are in contact with some Nepali friends in Wuhan via phone, but we have not met anyone, as the city was placed under lockdown," she said.

According to Devkota, he had approached Nepalese embassy officials in Beijing to inquire about the possibility of rescuing Nepalis in China.

"Officials said it is up to the Government of Nepal," she said.

The Nepalese embassy in Beijing issued a public notice on 23 January calling on all Nepalese residing in the country to get in touch with the embassy and the Consulate General of Nepal in Lhasa, Guangzhou and Hong Kong and Nepalese honorary advisors in Shanghai.

Nepalese in Wuhan, with 11 million residents in the city, has been under lockout ever since Chinese authorities imposed travel restrictions in Wuhan and several other cities in Hubei Province.

"Since flights have been suspended and vehicles have stopped moving in and out of the city, the Nepalis have no way to get out of Wuhan," Lamsal said. "Some are desperate to return to Nepal, but the city is on lockdown."

Lamsal said that some people believe that staying in Wuhan is a better option because in case of infection, they can get better treatment.

"So far, we have not received any request for any Nepalese to live and work in China," Lamsal said in the post.

Shrestha said that it is understandable that Nepalese are terrorized in China at this time, because the virus is spreading rapidly.

"But we don't have any plans to evacuate right now," Shrestha said. "Wuhan is a city of 11 million people and not everyone has contracted the virus."

China's National Health Commission said on Sunday that the chances of coronovirus outbreaks were worsening and infection could increase according to Reuters.

However, the World Health Organization has not announced a new virus outbreak of international health concern.

On Wednesday, the United Nations Health Agency called a meeting of the Emergency Committee, where members expressed differing views on whether China's coronavirus outbreak constituted a public health emergency.

According to the World Health Organization, members stopped calling it a global health emergency but agreed on the urgency of the situation and suggested that the committee should work again in a few days.

Back in Nepal, visitors from China have recently started visiting Tikku's Sukraj Tropical and Infectious Diseases Hospital, according to a doctor at the hospital, fearing they may have contracted the virus.

"More than a dozen people who have recently returned from China have visited our hospital in the last two days," said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the Ministry of Health barred him from speaking to the media Was given, the Post reported.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry said that it has decided to set up health desks in Pokhara, Lumbini and Sauraha in Chitwan to screen tourists for the virus. According to Ministry spokesperson Shrestha, health desks have also been set up at Rasuvagadhi and Tatopari border points. The ministry has also decided to direct the National Public Health Laboratory to conduct influenza tests round the clock. The laboratory was performing influenza testing only on working days.