Some 60 Ukrainians in China's Hubei want to leave
KYIV. Jan 31 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Embassy to China has said its diplomats have been in touch with 60 Ukrainian citizens who are currently in the Chinese province of Hubei, the epicenter of the new coronavirus.
"As of January 31 [...] the number of Ukrainian citizens in the Hubei province who have been contacted by our embassy is 60 (56 are in Wuhan, one in Xianyang, one in Zhongxiang (a county-level city of Jingmen), one in Yichang, and one in Xiaogan," the embassy said in response to a query from Interfax.
Some of them have expressed a desire to return to Ukraine and have requested assistance, the embassy said.
"The Embassy is constantly monitoring the epidemiological situation in China and updating the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and is also working with the relevant Chinese authorities. Should the Ukrainian government decide to evacuate Ukrainians from Hubei, our embassy will provide assistance with coordination between Ukrainian and Chinese agencies in charge of evacuation procedures," the embassy said when asked if Ukraine was considering repatriating its citizens from Hubei.
Following a resolution made at a National Defense and Security Council meeting on January 27, all Ukrainians currently in China have been advised to leave the country, the embassy said.