United States withdraws overseas Chinese in response to pneumonia in Wuhan (Chart/Dazhi Image/ Associated Press)
JOURNALIST LAM Yan-chen
The Wall Street Journal reports the U.S. is arranging Sunday`s (26) charter flight to pick up its citizens and diplomats from Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the new coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia) has erupted. The U.S. also plans to temporarily close its consulate in Wuhan.
The Wall Street Journal quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that charter flights are expected to carry about 230 people, including diplomats, US citizens and family members of the US Consulate.
After recent days of negotiations, China`s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant government agencies approved Washington`s move, the report said. The U.S. also plans to temporarily close its consulate in Wuhan.
As of 24, two confirmed cases of pneumonia in Wuhan and one suspected case, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday that a 60-year-old woman in Chicago had contracted a new coronavirus from Wuhan, the second in the United States.
