Quarantine and closed borders: what are countries doing about coronavirus?
Hundreds of foreign nationals are being evacuated from China’s Hubei province due to the coronavirus outbreak.
A number of Irish citizens have requested to leave Wuhan in China, and are likely to be quarantined in France for up to a fortnight,
Tánaiste Simon Coveney has confirmed officials are liaising with other EU countries who are sending planes into China to bring people home and confirmed that the Irish affected are likely to be subject to supervision in France.
Now, the department is advising against all non-essential travel to the whole of China, while experts decide whether to declare a global health emergency.
Many countries are using health checks and quarantine to greet those returning home, while some prefer to close their borders to travellers returning from the affected region.
Here is a run-down of what countries are doing following the outbreak:
Authorities have announced that French nationals returning from Wuhan will be quarantined for up to two weeks.
British nationals being returned to the UK from outbreak centre Wuhan are expected to be held in quarantine for two weeks.
Some 200 Americans left Hubei on an evacuation flight and were flown to Anchorage, in Alaska.
Alaska’s Department of Health and Social Services said those onboard were given multiple medical screenings before leaving China and once on US soil.
Once cleared the flight then continued on to California.
About 600 evacuees will stay at an offshore facility on Christmas Island, some 1,200 miles from the mainland.
The detention centre has been used to house asylum seekers and been criticised for its conditions.
It was reopened in August to hold a family of four, despite being constructed to hold more than 1,000 people.
Those who go to the Australian territory in the Indian Ocean will have to cover costs associated with their stay.
Meanwhile, local media has reported China’s women’s national football team is being quarantined in Australia after arriving to play in an Olympic qualifying tournament.
Officials have said they are cooperating with their Australian counterparts to bring home 53 citizens alongside Australian evacuees, with those New Zealanders to also be held on Christmas Island.
Hundreds have been evacuated with many more due to be repatriated, the government has said.
Japanese media reported all will be taken to hospital and tested in a quarantine ward before being released.
They will be told to stay in their homes until confirmation of their results.
The Pacific nation has barred all travellers from Asia from entering.
All passenger travel with neighbouring China has been blocked.
