Coronavirus outbreak: Nepali embassy in Beijing launches hotline

KATHMANDU, Jan 28: Nepali embassy in China has urged its citizens in Wuhan to contact its emergency numbers urgently to facilitate evacuation from the city after an outbreak of coronavirus, which has killed 100 people in China.

In a circular to Nepali students living in Wuhan city of China, the embassy has advised them to contact the following numbers of local government agencies in order to facilitate evacuation: 027-87122256/027- 87811173

Likewise, Nepali community in China can contact the following hotline number of the Nepali embassy: 156 5072 0069

In its circular, the embassy stated that it is in touch with the Nepal government and Chinese government agencies in Wuhan.

"The embassy is ready to provide any kind of help at this hour of crisis. We urge the Nepali nationals in Hubei to stay calm, comply with the efforts of Chinese health authorities for curbing the spread of novel coronavirus (NCV) and share only authentic information from the concerned Chinese government agencies through social networking sites regarding the coronavirus outbreak. We advise the Nepali nationals to immediately contact the hotline numbers of the government agencies in Wuhan," read the circular to Nepali students and Nepali community in Hubei.

Earlier, Nepal's Ambassador to China Leela Mani Paudyal had attended a special briefing to foreign diplomats based in Beijing by the Chinese Foreign Ministry regarding the coronavirus outbreak in China. Ambassador Paudyal held a discussion with authorities on the safety concerns of Nepali nationals residing in Wuhan city of China.

On the occasion, Chinese authorities shared in detail regarding various efforts being made to curb the spread of novel coronavirus while urging the foreign missions in China to understand the sensitivity of the policies adopted by China to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

Ambassador Poudel said that the Nepal government extends support to the Chinese government's efforts to control the coronavirus outbreak. "We request the Chinese government agencies to pay attention to the safety issues of Nepali nationals residing in China, especially in Wuhan," he told the authorities.