Pakistani students in Wuhan get embassy care visit

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

Pakistani students in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus that has claimed over 1,800 lives since last December, got a visit from Pakistani diplomats checking on their health and well-being.

“All the students in the universities visited today are safe, healthy and well looked after," Pakistan’s Embassy in Beijing announced Tuesday.

While many countries, including India, have evacuated their citizens from mainland China, Pakistani students remain in the city, under a strict lockdown for over a month now.

Chinese authorities allowed a two-member task force to meet the students and speak to them firsthand, added the embassy statement.

The team will return to Beijing once the lockdown in Wuhan is lifted and the on-ground situation is stabilized.

"Three Pakistani students in Guangzhou city, and one in Wuhan, who were infected by the coronavirus infection, have fully recovered and discharged from hospitals," the statement added.

While the embassy has taken a number of steps to provide assistance to the students, such as setting up 24-hour hotlines and answering students’ questions via email, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi issued instructions to relevant authorities to ensure the safety of the Pakistani students in Hubei province and across China.

The Chinese government also took measures to provide basic amenities to the students – including food, water, regular medical checkups, protective masks and spraying of disinfectant in dorms and residences.

Students suffering from depression and stress were also provided psychological counseling.

Meanwhile, health officials in China have published the first details of more than 70,000 cases of the virus, officially known as COVID-19.

Data from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than 80% of the cases have been mild, with the sick and elderly most at risk.