ISLAMABAD: Pakistani students in China said on Tuesday that they were living in fear as the number of known cases of the new coronavirus was rapidly rising, infecting thousands of people and killing at least 106.
According to China’s National Health Commission, 4,547 infections have been reported as of Tuesday, a surge from Monday’s figure of 2,835.
About 28,000 Pakistani students are studying China, with 500 of them in Wuhan – a city of 11 million in Hubei province and the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak – according to Foreign Office data.
“Fear and panic is all around due to the mounting death toll and rapid spread of the virus,” Muhammad Sadiq, a doctoral student in Wuhan, told Arab News on the telephone. “But we have been trying to deal with it by remaining in close contact with other fellow students.”
He said that the Chinese government had suspended all vehicular traffic, closed shopping malls, educational institutions, and restricted outdoor activity to prevent further infections.
“We have been confined and isolated to our rooms … streets are deserted and the whole city is virtually locked down,” he said, adding that the Chinese authorities were “doing their best” to facilitate them.
Most of the coronavirus cases have been reported in Hubei, where 17 cities, including Wuhan, have been under lockdown.
The deadly virus has spread to other parts of the world as well, but so far no deaths have been reported outside China.
Hamid Hussain, a Pakistani student at Wuhan University, said that some students had approached the Pakistani Embassy and the Higher Education Commission, seeking their help to get out of the city.
“Some students have appealed for evacuation from the city, but so far it seems impossible as all plane, train and bus links to Wuhan have been suspended,” he said over the phone.
According to Hussain, there was a “mild food shortage” in some parts of the city last week, but now they are “provided with an abundance of food, medicines, masks and all other necessary items.”
Many countries, including the US, Japan, France, and Mongolia have announced their plans to evacuate citizens from Wuhan and other virus-hit areas. But Pakistani authorities have so far expressed satisfaction over the Chinese government’s disease control measures and approach to affected Pakistani nationals.
“We have approached Chinese foreign ministry over complaints about the food shortage and they have informed us that a three-time meal was being provided in the sealed areas,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a statement on Monday night.
The minister added that the Chinese authorities were “fully cooperating” and Pakistan relied on their assistance. “We need their help to secure the lives of our citizens,” he said.
