Evacuations related to the COVID-19 pandemic

This article lists evacuations conducted as a result of the 2019–20 novel coronavirus outbreak.

The Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was identified in the city of Wuhan, Hubei, China in mid-December 2019 when a group of people developed a pneumonia without clear causes, and existing treatments were found to be ineffective. The novel coronavirus has similar characteristics to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Within a number of weeks, several thousand people in Hubei's provincial capital of Wuhan were infected, and the Chinese central government imposed strict containment measures, including a lockdown of Wuhan itself.

Due to the effective lockdown of Wuhan and Hubei, and the continued growth of the outbreak in these locations, several countries planned to evacuate their citizens and/or diplomatic staff from the area. This was done primarily through chartered flights of the home nations, which were provided prior clearance by Chinese authorities. Japan, India, the United States, France, Australia, Sri Lanka, Germany and Thailand were among the first to plan the evacuation of their citizens. Pakistan has said that it will not be evacuating any citizens from China.

List of evacuations

• Vietnam permitted four exceptional flights to carry Wuhan passengers home in the period 24–27 January, and organised a flight to evacuate citizens and diplomats.
• On 29 January, Australia and New Zealand announced that they would team up to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan. There are between 50–82 New Zealanders in Wuhan and 600 Australians in Hubei including 140 Australian children in Wuhan. The New Zealand Government chartered a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft from the national carrier Air New Zealand to assist in evacuation efforts, subject to approval from Chinese officials. While prioritizing New Zealand nationals, Australian and Pacific Island citizens may also be carried.
• On 29 January, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced plans to quarantine Australian citizens evacuated from Wuhan, including children and the elderly, for a period of 14 days on Christmas Island. The decision to repatriate those citizens using controversial detention facilities formerly used to detain asylum seekers before they were shut down in 2018 has received criticism. Controversially, the government plan also necessitates those evacuees to pay a fee of A$1,000, and would take them to Perth after the quarantine period, where they would need to arrange their own transportation back to their home cities. The Australian Medical Association, in a statement on the same day, stated that the decision to hold Australian citizens in "a place where has been previously the focus of populations under enormous mental and physical trauma and anguish, is not a really appropriate solution."
• On 29 January, South Korea made last-minute preparations to airlift about 700 South Korean nationals out of Wuhan, including finalizing logistical details with the Chinese Government. South Korea officials prepared two planes with two sets of medical teams comprising about 20 doctors, nurses, and foreign ministry and quarantine officials for each team.
• On 29 January, the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) prepared three aircraft including two Boeing 737 and one C-130 Hercules stationed in Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, with a battalion of health experts to help evacuate Indonesian nationals and citizens from the city. As of 29 January, the TNI-AU was waiting for instruction from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and on standby for 24 hours in case the order was given. On 30 January, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi announced that "The President has instructed [us] to immediately evacuate Indonesian citizens from Hubei province". The evacuation for as many as 243 Indonesians—to be quarantined in Natuna Regency for 14 days—was scheduled for 1 February 2020 and to take around 9 hours. The Indonesian government chartered an A330-300CEO (PK-LDY), Lion Air Group's Batik Air aircraft with identified flight number ID-8619 (18 crews and 30 medics) to evacuate around 200 Indonesian citizens from Hubei, including Wuhan City. Of the original 245 Indonesians in Wuhan, 4 refused to leave Wuhan, and 3 failed to pass the screening test by the Chinese in China. The seven Indonesians who remain in Hubei will continue to be monitored and in contact with the Embassy. Before they landed in Batam, "All had been declared healthy according to World Health Organization standards". The plane from Wuhan landed in Hang Nadim International Airport, Batam at around 8.45 am and they disembarked one by one, with long intervals. Officers wearing yellow and white Hazmat suits checked, disinfect on the passengers and escorted them out, Antara news agency reported. Then they went to Natuna using TNI-AU aircraft consist of one Boeing 737-200 Advanced (AL-7304) from Skadron Udara 5, one Boeing 737-400 (A-7306) from Skadron Udara 17, and one Lockheed C-130 (A-1315) from Skadron Udara 33. The three aircraft landed in Raden Sadjad Air Force Base, Ranai. However, the arrival of Indonesian citizens on Natuna was protested by the people on the island because they were worried that they would be infected by the coronavirus. Hundreds of people then staged demonstrations and burned tires. As a result, Brimob and Indonesian National Armed Forces troops were deployed to ensure stable security conditions. To protect and give health assurance to local people, Jokowi orders Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto to have a temporary office in Natuna.
• On 30 January, 92 Singaporeans were evacuated from Wuhan via a special Scoot flight, crewed by volunteers from the airline after co-ordination between Singapore and Chinese authorities facilitated the flights. However, not all Singaporeans are evacuated as some displayed symptoms before the flight. Two of the evacuees were later confirmed as the first Singaporeans to have the virus. Both were asymptomatic during the flight but were found to have a fever upon arrival.
• On 31 January, a British plane carrying 110 EU nationals (83 Britons and 27 others, not including military medics from the UK on board) left Wuhan, arriving at RAF Brize Norton in England. The British passengers are quarantined at a segregated block of Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral; all passengers were tested before and during the flight, with none having the virus. The other EU nationals were flown on to Spain from Brize Norton. More Britons (up to 150) were supposed to be on the flight, which was planned to leave a day earlier; China initially declined permission, and then anyone who had a Chinese passport (including infants and a newborn to British parents) were told they could not leave. Shortly before the flight left, this decision was reversed, but too late for people to get to the airport even though the plane was also delayed for several hours. The British government plans to send another plane if necessary. On this day, the first cases of the virus were reported in the UK, but were unrelated.
• On 1 February, India evacuated 324 people which include three minors, 211 students and 110 working professionals from Wuhan region in China in its first Air India flight evacuation.
• On 1 February, special Sri Lankan Airlines plane evacuated 33 Sri Lankans from Wuhan after co-ordination between Sri Lankan Government and Chinese authorities. After arrival all passengers are quarantined at a segregated block of Military Facility of Sri Lanka Army.
• On 1 February, Mongolian government evaluated 31 of its 33 citizens and upon arrival in Ulaanbaatar, they will be quarantined at National Center for Communicable diseases.
• On 1 February morning, a chartered aeroplane departed from Thailand to Wuhan to evacuate 64 Thai nationals from the city led by Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. The aeroplane includes a medical team specialised in respiratory tract infection and emergency medicine.
• On 1 February, a German Air Force plane was denied a stopover in Moscow after its starting point in Wuhan, according to the German Minister of Defence. Originally, the plane got an approval for a layover in Moscow. The plane needed a stop for refuelling and a change of crew personnel. The aircraft evacuated 102 German and 26 non-German citizens. The plane made a stopover in Helsinki on its way to Frankfurt Airport. The German Minister of Health stated that all passengers show no symptoms of the coronavirus. On its way to Wuhan the aeroplane carried 10,000 suits of protective equipment as requested by the Chinese government.
• On 1 February, an advanced team of officers from the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing headed to Wuhan by road to rescue and evacuate their 120 citizens from the city and the surrounding areas. The evacuation order was carried out after the decision of the Cabinet on 29 January 2020.
• On 2 February, India evacuated a second Air India flight carrying 323 Indians and seven Maldivians from Wuhan region in China.
• On 2 February, a French plane from Wuhan, carrying EU and some of the remaining British nationals, landed in Marseille. On the same day, the Brazilian government said it would send to China, a plane of the country's Air Force, with the mission of rescuing the 58 Brazilians who are in the city of Wuhan. Upon arrival in Brazil, they will be quarantined at a military base. While 325 Canadians in Hubei province registered for evacuation, the Government of Canada was still awaiting clearance from China to allow a chartered flight to Wuhan and repatriate Canadians at CFB Trenton as of 2 February.
• On 3 February, after having previously denied the Taiwanese government's request to evacuate its nationals (mostly businessmen) from Wuhan, due to the fact that China did not want to give the impression that it recognizes Taiwan as a separate nation, the Chinese government finally agreed to release the Taiwanese nationals under quarantine in Wuhan. But the Chinese government insisted on sending the Taiwanese home with China's China Southern Airlines under the name of charter flights for the Lunar New Year, instead of allowing Taiwan to send its aircraft to Wuhan to bring the Taiwanese nationals home.
• On 3 February, a Qantas flight chartered by the Australian government evacuated about 240 people, including 84 children and 5 infants, to the Australian mainland, before they were flown on smaller planes to Christmas Island. The inbound flight delivered medical supplies including masks, protective suits and gloves.
• On 4 February, Iran announced that 50 Iranian students have been evacuated through a chartered Mahan Air flight from Wuhan. Also 65 Iraqis, 24 Syrians and 1 Lebanese were on the flight.
• On 5 February an Air New Zealand flight chartered by the NZ government evacuated over 200 people: 193 New Zealanders who were taken to a defence-owned quarantine base in Whangaparāoa, and 35 Australians who were then taken to Christmas Island.
• On 7 February, Brazil evacuated from Wuhan 34 Brazilians, four Poles, a Chinese and an Indian nationals who will land on the scales made by Air Force planes.
• On 8 February, a second Qantas flight chartered by the Australian government due to evacuate up to 300 people was delayed after the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said "official clearance for the flight had not been secured."