KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — Ten Malaysians are expected to arrive home from China today, as part of the government’s efforts to repatriate its citizens in the wake of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
They are among the 212 non-essential staff from the Foreign Ministry attached to the Malaysian Embassy and Malaysian consulate-general offices in China whom the government is planning to bring back in stages, she added.
Dr Wan Azizah also said that the government is doing its best to retrieve another 34 Malaysians still stuck in Wuhan. The provincial capital of Hubei is the epicentre of the 2019-nCoV outbreak that has killed hundreds since it appeared at the start of December.
“We are working to bring back those who are still in Wuhan but because of the lockdown, we have to ask for clearance from China before we can do so.
“As for the 212 Malaysians comprising non-essential (Foreign Ministry) staff, we will bring them back in stages from China. Two families arrived yesterday and tonight, another 10 will return from Hong Kong,” she told reporters after officiating Parliament’s childcare centre here today.
Yesterday, Dr Wan Azizah, who is also the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) chairman, said two families consisting of 10 people who are non-essential Foreign Ministry staff from Guangzhou arrived at KLIA and were taken to a health checkpoint to undergo a medical screening.
They were allowed to return home but will be monitored, she said.
