The Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed that evacuation of the Maldivians residing in Wuhan, China will be difficult but is currently underway.

According to the ministry, the seven Maldivians in Wuhan consists of five students and two parents. The ministry stated that they are being provided with the necessary assistance in collaboration with the Maldives Embassy in Beijing.

Evacuation of these seven Maldivians has proven difficult for the ministry since Wuhan was declared a soft quarantine zone by the Chinese government. The lockdown comes as part of the Chinese government’s efforts to minimize the spread of the deadly coronavirus. As such, entry into Wuhan Province has been prohibited temporarily, under the protocols set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Speaking to RaajjeMV, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mariyam Seena stated that the ministry is working jointly with the Maldives Embassy in Beijing to closely monitoring the condition of Maldivians residing in China.

While the Foreign Ministry announced that consultations are underway with the Chinese government to evacuate the seven Maldivians residing in Wuhan, Minister Abdulla Shahid revealed that the government of Maldives is working to extend financial assistance to the Maldivian students as well.

There have been 56 fatalities from the coronavirus reported so far, with 1975 people testing positive for the infection.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that thus far, the disease has surfaced in Japan, Thailand, South Korea, America, France, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia and India.