Chinese ambassador: No reason to repatriate South Africans from China
China's ambassador to South Africa Lin Songtian doesn’t believe there is any reason for South Africans living in his country to be repatriated.
Lin briefed the media in Pretoria Monday morning on the efforts by his government to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus.
The 57 new deaths confirmed Monday was the single-biggest daily increase since the virus was detected late last year in the central city of Wuhan, where it is believed to have jumped from animals at a market into humans.
The virus has since spread to more than 24 countries despite many governments imposing unprecedented travel bans on people coming from China.
The number of infections also jumped significantly, passing 17,200 although there are no confirmed cases in South Africa.
"Up to now no case of infection from South Africans has been reported to us in China. There's no evidence or reason to support the repatriation or emergency evacuation of South African citizens from China," Lin said.
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The current death toll stands at 361.