Coronavirus outbreak: 175 Nepali nationals airlifted from Wuhan

A total of 175 Nepali nationals from six different cities from China's coronavirus hit Hubei province were airlifted from Wuhan, the Himalayan Nation's embassy said in a statement.

"One hundred and seventy-five Nepali nationals from six different cities across Hubei Province of the People's Republic of China were airlifted from Wuhan this morning by a charter flight of Nepal Airlines," the statement read.

The flight with 170 students, 1 employee, 2 visitors, and 2 children departed for Nepal at 00:52 AM (China Standard Time) and is scheduled to land at Tribhuvan International Airport at around 04:00 AM (Nepal Standard Time).

"Necessary procedures including temperature checks were completed before boarding the plane. Upon arrival in Nepal, they will be kept in quarantine for at least 14 days. Out of the 185 applicants, four later decided to stay back in China whereas six could not board the plane due to medical reasons," the embassy said.

The embassy said one hundred thousand pieces of face masks donated by the Government of Nepal to the Chinese Government through the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu were brought to Wuhan on the same flight, and were handed over to Hubei Charity Federation at the airport.

The Embassy expressed its "sincere thanks" to the Chinese Foreign Ministry for its "support and co-operation" in facilitating the process of sending back the Nepali nationals.