Watch: SA students from coronavirus-hit China return to OR Tambo
These South Africans based in China have been flown home following the coronavirus scare, and they were welcomed back at OR Tambo.
A group of South African students and teachers based in China returned home on Monday morning, arriving at OR Tambo to some moderate media fanfare. The group – who were dotted around various points of the country – had been left in limbo following the recent coronavirus outbreak.
OR Tambo hosts returning South Africans from China
Thousands of lives have been lost to the disease, many of which have been in China. The South African collective had been left between the devil and the deep blue sea over the past month, as both Chinese and domestic officials advised against letting the youngsters come home. There was a change in policy this weekend, though.
After landing at OR Tambo in Johannesburg, the group posed for pictures and gave brief testimonies to the press. One student revealed that the situation was under control where she was based, and praised the authorities for “keeping them safe” during a time of panic and confusion:
Watch: SA students return home from China, coronavirus-free
South African Students studying Early Childhood Development at various institutions in China excited to return home, amid the slight decline in new reported cases of the deadly #coronavirus. @Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/j7oMDieqLc
— Linda Mnisi (@LindA_MniSii) February 17, 2020
South African students and teachers are arriving back from China amid the #Coronavirus outbreak. #NewzroomAfrika‘s @LindA_MniSii is at the OR Tambo International Airport and brings you the latest. #CoronaOn405 #Newzroom405
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) February 17, 2020
Watch on @YouTube: https://t.co/wLLW0rJAgC pic.twitter.com/LHHBd54WY7
Coronavirus in South Africa: Nothing to report
They were initially quarantined and banned from travelling anywhere before the government gave them the all-clear to leave China this weekend. No South Africans – at home or abroad – have been diagnosed with coronavirus. Scares in KwaZulu-Natal, North West and the Western Cape all proved to be false alarms in February.
A citizen of eSwatini is currently being monitored for coronavirus symptoms. This follows similar cases in Namibia and Botswana. The Health Department have reiterated that South Africa will be able to deal with any such cases, and that all medical professionals have been briefed about treating the disease.