Iraq working with China to evacuate students from city affected by coronavirus outbreak

The Iraqi foreign ministry said in a statement that it is following “with great interest” the conditions of Iraqi students studying in China’s Wuhan.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) ­– The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that it is working with Chinese authorities to evacuate Iraqi students from the city of Wuhan, which is thought to be where a new deadly virus, coronavirus, first infected humans.

The ministry said in a statement that it is following “with great interest” the conditions of Iraqi students studying in China’s Wuhan as local authorities have effectively locked down the city along with others affected by the outbreak.

The statement added that Foreign Minister Muhammad Ali al-Hakim directed the Iraqi embassy in China to form an operations room headed by Ambassador Ahmed Tahsin Barwari. The unit will coordinate with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Wuhan to maintain contact with and, ultimately, evacuate the students, the ministry said.

The statement noted that the embassy had not recorded cases of infection among the students.

As of Saturday, Chinese authorities said they have recorded 41 deaths, while there have reportedly been close to 1,400 confirmed cases. Over 15 of the fatalities were in China’s Hubei province, where Wuhan is located.

On Friday, the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health said it is taking “all necessary measures” to prevent the deadly virus from spreading within the autonomous region.

As the virus has spread, with cases reported in countries neighboring China, including others such as France, health authorities around the world are attempting to contain it to prevent a potential pandemic, Reuters reports.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany