Airlines ready to assist in evacuation from China - deputy minister
CORONAVIRUS | National carrier Malaysia Airlines along with AirAsia and Malindo have indicated their willingness to assist in any efforts to evacuate Malaysians from China in light of the new coronavirus outbreak.
Deputy Tourism Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik said this is however subject to further instructions on any planned evacuation of Malaysians in China.
"I have talked to all three airlines, Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Malindo... they are willing to cooperate with our embassy in China to identify Malaysians who are affected and evacuate them....
CORONAVIRUS | National carrier Malaysia Airlines along with AirAsia and Malindo have indicated their willingness to assist in any efforts to evacuate Malaysians from China in light of the new coronavirus outbreak.
Deputy Tourism Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (above) said this is however subject to further instructions on any planned evacuation of Malaysians in China.
"I have talked to all three airlines, Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Malindo... they are willing to cooperate with our embassy in China to identify Malaysians who are affected and evacuate them.
"We are still waiting for further instructions (but) the airlines are willing to cooperate," he told reporters after attending a Chinese New Year open house jointly hosted by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and Klang Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCCI) at the Klang Hokkien Association Hall.
Read more: New coronavirus outbreak: Here’s what we know so far
AirAsia and Malindo have suspended all flights to Wuhan, China for the time being.
Muhammad Bakhtiar also said he will be calling a meeting with tourism industry players in a few days time, to discuss issues surrounding the entry of tourists from China.
"I understand that OTA (online travel agencies) are asking hotels (here) to refund bookings made from China and all that.
"We will discuss further on that," he said.
Given the severity of the global outbreak with four confirmed cases in Malaysia so far and 56 deaths in China, Muhammad Bakhtiar said the main priority would be to discuss how all parties could play their roles to assist the situation.
"In particular where it involves hotels (here)... Looking at refunds for hotel room bookings (by tourists) from China," he added.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a separate statement today said that up to 87 Malaysians living in Wuhan and elsewhere in Hubei province in China, who returned home for the Lunar New Year holiday recently, are free of the virus.
He said all 87 Malaysians underwent health screenings at international entry points nationwide upon arrival.
Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, are the epicentre of the deadly 2019-nCoV outbreak, which has so far infected almost 2,000 in China.
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