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On Sunday, February 3, Moroccans living in China landed in Morocco as part of an evacuation plan, executed following royal instructions.
167 Moroccans, including 52 women, left Hubei, a Chinese province and the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, Saturday via a Royal Air Maroc plane, after they urged the Moroccan authorities in several videos and social media posts to assist them and have them evacuated.
Currently in Morocco, these nationals, who are mostly students, were admitted upon arrival into two military hospitals in Rabat and Meknes, where they are expected to be under close medical supervision for 20 days.
A Moroccan national who has been working in Wuhan and who took part in the repatriation plan told Yabiladi, Monday, that he is «safe and sound». Recalling how the repatriation plan went during the last couple of days, he reported that «the operation was smooth and easy-going».
The Wuhan-based Moroccan, who requested anonymity, said that the Moroccan embassy «has managed to gather Moroccans from Wuhan and the province of Hubei». «The embassy worked so hard to gather everyone who wanted to return to Morocco and transported everyone in shuttle buses to the airport», the same source recalled.
The Moroccan national said that their evacuation started at «8 am on Saturday». «We also tried to help and did what we could to get all the students out of the city», he added.
In quarantine for 20 days
Once at the airport, which was exclusively open for foreign nationals leaving for their home countries, Moroccans boarded the plane that arrived «at noon at the Benslimane airport», the same source explained.
In the Kingdom, the repatriated nationals were divided into two groups : «The first group was sent to the military hospital in Meknes while the second one was admitted into the one of Rabat».
«We are currently in quarantine, the two groups. They put us in a special wing, where we are supposed to stay for twenty days».
«The Moroccan embassy’s staff are also in quarantine as they entered the Hubei province», the same source said. «They are very nice and helpful, they gave us Moroccan numbers so we can call our families and loved ones to reassure them», the China-based Moroccan concluded.
While Moroccans evacuated from Hubei are in quarantine, the Health Ministry said in a reassuring press release, Sunday, that they are indeed «safe and sound», promising to keep the public opinion updated about their situation.
For the record, several Moroccan students and nationals living in Wuhan took to the internet to ask for their repatriation, amid the new deadly coronavirus outbreak. Days later, King Mohammed VI ordered the repatriation of these nationals, who were mostly students.
