361 Bangladeshis will return home from China

A special flight of Bangladesh Biman is coming with 361 Bangladeshis trapped in Wuhan, the epicenter of coronavirus outbreak in China.

Health Minister and Family Minister Dr Zahid Maleque said this at a press briefing held at the VIP lounge of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Friday noon.

“We’re ready to bring Bangladeshis living there. We also informed the Chinese government. They’ve given permission…we can now bring our citizens back,” said the minister.

“Among the 361 returnees of 19 families, 18 are children he said.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Disaster Management Relief Minister Dr Enamur Rahman were present at the conference.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday it was declaring the coronavirus outbreak that has killed 170 people in China a global emergency, as cases spread to at least 18 countries.

The vast majority of the more than 7,800 cases detected globally, according to the latest WHO data, have been in China, where the virus originated in an illegal wildlife market in the city of Wuhan.

Dhaka/Asad/Mukul