Namibia minister rules out evacuation of its citizens stuck in China

Health and Social Services Minister Kalumbi Shangula said that Namibia does not have the isolation capacity for 500 Namibians who are still in lockdown in China due to coronavirus outbreak, according to a media report by Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC).

"The evacuation process might expose both the evacuees and the evacuating teams during the process, calling the exercise an irresponsible move that would be blamed on Government should the virus finds its way into the country," the NBC report quoted Shangula giving a statement in the National Assembly.

The Health Minister said that the thought of evacuating Namibians might have raised from South Africa's announcement that it will evacuate its citizens who are in China. Adding on he said that Namibia is controlling the situation based on its own circumstances.

The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said that the ministry has received a report on March 2, indicating that China has reported a further drop in the number of new cases recorded.

She said that not evacuating students does not mean that the government is not concerned about its citizens who are stuck in China rather the government is concerned about the whole nation by treating the situation with caution and is considering the safety of the entire nation.