Putrajaya to discuss with China to bring back Malaysians trapped in Hubei province

PUTRAJAYA — Malaysia will be discussing with China to airlift Malaysian citizens trapped in the Hubei province, the epicentre of a new, deadly coronavirus strain, back home.

In a press conference on Wednesday (Jan 29), Malaysian prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said: “We are faced with a problem where Malaysians in Wuhan cannot get out of Wuhan, but we want to discuss, negotiate with the Chinese government, so that Malaysian citizens who are not ill, can come back to Malaysia.

“And they will be checked when they reach Malaysia. If there is proof they are ill from coronavirus, or they were there long, we will quarantine these Malaysians before they are allowed to go back to their homes.”

Dr Mahathir said the incubation period would be 14 days.

Wuhan is the capital city of the Hubei province, currently ravaged by the coronavirus, dubbed the Wuhan virus or 2019-nCoV in short.

Also present during the press conference was the country’s health minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad, who confirmed that there are currently 78 Malaysians in Wuhan.

He said that none of them had tested positive for the Wuhan virus. MALAY MAIL