A top Pakistani health official said Thursday that Islamabad had no immediate decide to evacuate any of some 30,000 nationals living in China to review and work, despite the new coronavirus that surfaced there.
Zafar Mirza, who advises Prime Minister Imran Khan on health issues, told a press conference that thus far only four Pakistani students in China are diagnosed with the new virus and their conditions are listed as stable.
He said about 500 Pakistani students were in Wuhan — the location of the outbreak — at the time it surfaced. He said although the virus has killed 170 people in China, authorities in Beijing have done an honest job of containing it by taking swift measures.
China has been largely praised for its response to the outbreak. Still, some Pakistani students have complained on social media that they haven't received enough food and medical aid .
Mirza asked relatives of Pakistanis in China to not worry, saying they were being taken care of well. He said no decision had been made to evacuate Pakistanis there.
Mirza said the virus may need spread sooner internationally if Beijing had not opposed requests made by different countries to evacuate their citizens. “We support China on this policy," he said.