Taiwan is poised to evacuate its citizens remaining trapped in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis, with chartered planes as the headcount of those wishing to leave is being conducted, CNA reported on Sunday (Feb. 2).
Wuhan Taiwan Enterprises Association chairwoman Xiao Yong-rui (蕭永瑞) told CNA that the association had just received a notification from Wuhan's Taiwan Affairs Office on Sunday morning asking the association to help count the exact number of Taiwanese wishing to leave the city, hinting that the Chinese authorities have given the nod to the evacuation plan.
Xiao said that the association was arranging chartered planes and that the order of evacuation would be based on the degree of emergency evacuees faced, the news agency reported. However, she added that the association would strive to evacuate every Taiwanese wishing to leave the coronavirus-infested city via charter flights.
Xiao said that the headcount would take one to two days. As for what life has been like since the lockdown was imposed on the city, she said, “We are all okay,” as Taiwanese expats have been avoiding visiting neighbors or friends and staying at home, while subways, buses, and even travel by private car have been shut down, according to the report.
With regard to the availability of necessities, she said that they can be purchased at convenience stores across the city and that most of them are within walking distance of residences. For people who live on the outskirts of the city, travel by car is permitted as the distances to the stores are further.
“With the availability of water, electricity, natural gas, and food, [we] won’t starve to death,” she added.
Source：Taiwan News
