Embassy to continue monitoring Malaysians still in Wuhan

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Malaysian Ambassador to China, Raja Datuk Nushirwan Zainal Abidin, said the embassy will continue to monitor Malaysians who are still in Wuhan, China, in the wake of the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus.

He said 34 Malaysians did not join the recent mission to evacuate Malaysians from Wuhan as some of them faced logistical problems, while others decided to stay put.

"For those who opted to stay put, it is their choice, and we will continue to monitor their situation via the WeChat application.

So far, they are all in good condition, ” he said when contacted by Bernama on Tuesday (Feb 4).

Nushirwan said the temporary secretariat established in Wuhan had been closed and the team members had returned to the embassy to prevent unnecessary risks in Hubei province.

In the meantime, he said, the embassy was still in the process of tracking down other Malaysian citizens in China by encouraging them to register at the Malaysian consulate offices.

He said the embassy was seeking a more effective mechanism to monitor Malaysians, especially in areas severely affected by the outbreak.

In the meantime, he said he was glad the mission managed to successfully bring 133 Malaysians back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) early on Tuesday morning.

"The process went smoothly with good cooperation between the two governments. Telephone conversation between our foreign minister (Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah) and his counterpart from China on Saturday helped to make this mission a success, ” he said.

The special AirAsia aircraft used in the mission to bring the 133 Malaysians from Wuhan landed safely at KLIA at 5.57 am.

The AirAsia aircraft, a part of the Malaysian government’s Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission, brought home 107 people from Hubei province, comprising 88 Malaysians and 19 non-citizens who are their spouses and children.

Also on board of the special flight departing from Tianhe International Airport, Wuhan, were six officials from the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing, eight mission personnel and 12 flight crew members.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, in a statement, said that out of the 107 who were brought home from Wuhan, two did not pass the requisite health screening and were sent to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL).

Meanwhile, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Amhad in a press conference on Feb 4 confirmed that a 41-year-old man had become the first Malaysian to test positive for coronavirus.

At the same press conference, Dr Dzulkefly also confirmed a new positive case involving a Chinese national, bringing the total number of positive cases in the country to 10. – Bernama