Abu Dhabi: After a two-week quarantine at Abu Dhabi’s Humanitarian City, all 215 people evacuated from China’s Hubei province earlier this month have tested negative for the coronavirus.
The evacuees, mainly Arab nationals and others living in Hubei – the origin of the outbreak in China – were brought to the UAE as a humanitarian gesture at the start of March. They completed their 14-day quarantine on Tuesday, reported Arabic TV channel, Oloum Al Dar, and none has COVID-19.
The evacuees, who hail from 11 countries, including Syria, Jordan, Mauritania, Iraq, Sudan, Brazil, Egypt and Yemen, have been tested by the Abu Dhabi Department of Health.
Dr Faisal Al Ahbabi, medical supervisor and spokesman for the city, said the evacuees have been tested for the novel coronavirus, Sars-CoV-2, four times during their stay.
“They were tested for the first time when they arrived here. Four days later, the evacuees were tested, along with technicians, maintenance staff and physicians dealing with them. No infections were detected. Four days later, they were tested again, and the final tests were conducted on Monday, March 17,” Dr Al Ahbabi said.
The evacuation was carried out under orders of UAE President, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, tweeted on the occasion to announce that the evacuees would “receive the best medical care” during their stay.
All evacuees were set to initially return to their home countries and the UAE Government will coordinate their journey back home, extended stay if necessitated by travel restrictions.
