Iran Press/Europe: Many countries have announced plans to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak.
According to Aljazeera television channel, Beijing says there are at least 9,692 people confirmed to have the infection, which has spread from Wuhan's Hubei province to every one of China's 31 provinces.
Global coronavirus infections are up to 130. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the virus outbreak a global emergency.
Meanwhile, South Korea has evacuated more than 350 of its citizens from the city of Wuhan on a plane and may schedule up to three more flights. South Korea has confirmed its 7th case of coronavirus on Friday. Also Italy has confirmed its first two cases of the virus.
Japan has changed it’s travel advice to China, urging Japanese citizens to avoid all non-urgent trips to China.
More international airlines have curtailed flights to China, including Virgin Atlantic and Kenya Airways.
Meanwhile, a suspected case of coronavirus has been detected in New Zealand, according to the New Zealand ministry of health.
State TV in China reported on Thursday that the country’s aviation authority had approved chartered flights to bring Wuhan residents home. The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed that saying, charter planes would be sent to bring citizens from virus-hit Hubei province who are overseas back “as soon as possible”.
This is in view of “practical difficulties that Hubei citizens, especially those from Wuhan, have faced overseas”, said ministry of foreign affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying.
The ministry’s comments come as a number of airlines announced they were halting or reducing flights to China as the country struggles to contain the spread of a deadly new virus.
China has advised its citizens to postpone trips abroad and cancelled overseas group tours, while several countries including Germany, Britain, and Canada have urged their citizens to avoid travel to China.
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