Australians successfully evacuated from Wuhan, en route to Christmas Island

  • February 3, 2020

Sky News Australia

Australians who were trapped in Wuhan have been successfully evacuated from China on Monday, Foreign Minister Marise Payne has confirmed.

Ms Payne said 243 Australian citizens and permanent residents were evacuated from Wuhan – the epicentre of the novel coronavirus – and were en route to Christmas Island where they would be quarantined for an estimated 14 days.

From the 243 passengers on board, Ms Payne said 89 were aged under 16 and five were infants younger than two.

“As we foreshadowed, we have prioritised vulnerable and isolated Australians,” she said. Ms Payne said Chinese authorities cooperated in full with the assisted departure.