Swiss citizens repatriated from Wuhan arrive in France
A plane carrying French citizens repatriated from Wuhan arriving near Marseille on Friday.
Keystone / Arnold Jerocki
A plane carrying five Swiss nationals and three of their Chinese family members has arrived near Marseille in France, after leaving Wuhan early Sunday morning.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/RTS/dos
Español
es
Avión vuelve a Europa con repatriados voluntarios de Wuhan
The plane was chartered by the French government to repatriate some 250 people of 30 different nationalities, including French, Belgian, Austrian, and the five Swiss.
Though none of the passengers showed signs of suffering from the Coronavirus, they will spend the next 14 days quarantined in the French air base of Istres-Le-Tubé.
In a press releaseExternal link on Sunday, the Swiss foreign ministry said it had worked closely with French and Chinese authorities to prepare the “voluntary” repatriation of these citizens.
Initially, it was thought that 10 would return, but two chose shortly before departure to stay put in Wuhan, the foreign ministry said.
All passengers on the flight underwent medical tests prior to taking off and wore masks for the duration of the flight. Flight staff wore protective suits.
According to the foreign ministry, there are currently than 4,000 Swiss nationals in China and Hong Kong. Only ten were located in the vicinity of Wuhan, the epicentre of the epidemic that has so far claimed over 300 lives.
Also on Sunday, in an interview with the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, the Chinese ambassador in Bern said that all Chinese tourists and residents in Switzerland had been contacted. None presented any risk, he confirmed.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
Ups and downs: Swiss drivers benefit from world’s only mobile bridge
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Director of Credit Suisse doc claims he faced pressure not to make it
This content was published on
Simon Helbling, director of the documentary 'Game Over - The Collapse of Credit Suisse', claims he was pressured not to make the film.
This content was published on
The Swiss economy will continue to develop at a rather subdued pace in 2025, according to economic researchers at ETH Zurich (KOF).
Swiss name Alpine stonefly ‘new species of the year’
This content was published on
The Swiss Systematics Society has named the alpine stonefly species Dictyogenus nadigi as the "new species of the year 2025".
Too much light at night disturbs great tits when breeding
This content was published on
Great tits have fewer young in nesting boxes in the city than in forests. The reason for this is light pollution, according to a Swiss study.
Psychologists: big break in relationships comes one to two years before separation
This content was published on
Many people ask themselves whether their relationship will last. A clear sign exists that it could soon be over, according to an analysis with Swiss participation.
This content was published on
The train line between Täsch and Zermatt in southwestern Switzerland was interrupted again on Wednesday morning by another rockfall.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland hopes to repatriate citizens from China at the weekend
This content was published on
France has offered to fly the ten people to Marseilles where they will be quarantined for 14 days when they arrive. Officials said that all Swiss citizens in China are healthy and reiterated that there are no cases of Coronavirus in Switzerland so far. The Swiss foreign ministry said there are more than 4,000 Swiss…
Coronavirus expected to hit Swiss tourism industry
This content was published on
Officials say the coronavirus outbreak could lead to a 30-50% drop in the number of Chinese tourists to the Alpine country in the coming weeks.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.