Yemenis Given No Checks After Returning Home From China

Story ByLee Bullen,Sub EditorJoseph Golder,AgencyCentral European News

Yemeni nationals who fled China amid the coronavirus outbreak have re-entered their war-torn homeland without any medical checks prompting fears the virus could spread there.

According to local media, a minimum of 95 Yemeni nationals fled China and travelled to the Yemeni port city of Amen via Khartoum in Sudan.

They reportedly arrived at the Aden International Airport on a Felix Airways, also known as Al Saeeda, flight without undergoing any medical checks at a time when the country is already reeling from a bloody war and a cholera outbreak.

Local media said the incident has sparked fears of a possible outbreak in the war-ravaged state.

Yemen is considered one of the Middle East’s poorest states and its infrastructure has been greatly affected by the ongoing conflict between Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led coalition, according to reports.

The local authorities have yet to confirm any cases of coronavirus in Yemen, which has been reported in at least 25 other countries.

Local media claimed that there are around 170 students from Yemen based in the affected Chinese city of Wuhan who have yet to receive any help from the government since the outbreak.

On Sunday, the Philippines reported the first coronavirus death outside of China.

Reports said that a biotech executive has claimed there will not be a vaccination ready for public use before mid-2020 despite all efforts.

Until now, most coronavirus victims have been elderly people with pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes, according to local media.

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