CORONAVIRUS: S’Africa evacuates citizens from Wuhan as Ghana, Gabon suspend foreign trips for officials

South African authorities have sent forth a chartered flight to China’s coronavirus epicentre of Wuhan to repatriate more than 120 citizens stranded there since the outbreak began in January.

“Go with speed, with God and bring our children back home,” President Cyril Ramaphosa reportedly told the dozens of military staff and health officials boarding the flight at Johannesburg’s main airport on Tuesday night.

According to reports, the plane is due to stop over in the Philippines first to refuel, before heading to China and it is scheduled to leave China on Friday and land in South Africa later that day.

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In a related development, Ghanaian public officials and Gabonese MPs have been temporarily banned from travelling out of their countries in measures to prevent coronavirus.

Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo temporarily suspended foreign travel on Tuesday through a letter issued by his Chief of Staff Akusua Frema Osei-Opare.

The letter stated that only essential and critical trips by public officials will be considered and approved.

In Gabon, the Speaker of the National Assembly Faustin Boukoubi has suspended all foreign trips by MPs.

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