In light of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China, millions have been told to stay put in the Hubei capital as the city goes on lockdown.
Among those affected are 3 Singaporeans medical students studying in Wuhan who now have no choice but to remain in the city over the CNY weekend.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, the Singaporean students had earlier bought tickets to return home but are now unable to travel due to the lockdown.
The 3 were all medical students pursuing their degrees at the Wuhan University.
In particular, one student had originally planned to return home to visit his mum who will be undergoing surgery on Saturday (25 Jan). He isn’t able to do so now, as the city has closed its airport.
With no way out, he has to remain in Wuhan, and wait until the situation improves.
The students plan to seek help from the Singapore Embassy in China.
According to the student, there are 14 Singaporean students in total at Wuhan University. The rest have returned home, except for the 3 in question.
Source
The trio’s internship at a Wuhan hospital had kept them there over the winter break, which was why they couldn’t come home earlier.
One of the students told Lianhe Zaobao that supermarkets in Wuhan are facing shortage of supplies. Thankfully, he already has enough snacks and necessities to last him for at least a week.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), there are 35 Singaporeans currently in Wuhan who have e-registered or contacted them.
All of them are “well”, according to the press statement.
Singaporeans who are currently in China are advised to e-register with the MFA to receive timely information and consular assistance. More information can be found here on MFA’s website.
We hope the situation takes a turn for the better so the students, as well as the other Singaporeans currently in Wuhan, can return home soon.
Meanwhile, for the rest of us celebrating CNY in Singapore, take this as a good opportunity to spend precious time with our loved ones, and treasure it, because not everybody is as fortunate to be able to do so.
Featured image adapted from Lianhe Zaobao and Wikipedia.
This "appalling" arrangement was clearly "not right", Ms Tin said, as it's "not conducive for…
"Everyone listens to music on their phones nowadays," the boss remarked.
Some passengers had to wait for almost two hours to receive their baggage.
Vehicles were half-submerged in the water.
The perfect car for those terrified of parallel parking.
The politician and her husband adopted the monk last year.