France to repatriate citizens from Wuhan as virus spreads
January 27, 2020, 11:09 am

France to repatriate citizens from Wuhan as virus spreads

Travelers wear face masks as they wait their flight at Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. (File photo AP)

France’s government announced Sunday it will repatriate up to hundreds of French citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of a deadly new virus.

Those French citizens who want to leave Wuhan will be taken on a direct flight to France in the middle of the week, and then held in quarantine for 14 days, the French health minister announced, after a special government meeting to discuss the spreading virus.

France is joining other countries planning evacuations from Wuhan, which is under lockdown by the Chinese government in an attempt to halt the spread of the pneumonia-like virus that has killed more than 50 people and infected nearly 2,000 people in China.

The US Consulate in Wuhan announced it will evacuate its personnel and some private citizens aboard a charter flight on Tuesday.

French hospitals are treating three confirmed cases of the new coronavirus - the first infections reported in Europe - and more are likely, officials said. The confirmed cases are all Chinese citizens who recently returned from travels there.

“The prime minister asked for the organization of repatriation via direct flight, in agreement with the Chinese authorities,” Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said. A special medical team will accompany the flight.

French automaker PSA, which produces Peugeot and Citroen cars, said Saturday it was evacuating its expatriate employees and their families from Wuhan and quarantining them in another city. It didn’t elaborate.

French medical teams on Sunday began meeting passengers arriving on flights from China at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle and other airports. Earlier, the government only posted small signs in airports about the new virus, alongside signs about other, older global viruses.

France has decided not to take the temperatures of arriving passengers because it “provides a false sense of safety,” the health minister said on LCI television earlier Sunday. She said in each of France’s three confirmed cases, they arrived without a fever.

Buzyn said there was no reason for France’s general public to go outside with masks.

She also said a decision to cancel a Chinese New Year’s fete in Paris, which has a large Chinese population, wasn’t based on a medical decision. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the city’s Chinese residents were simply not in the mood for a party, given the spread of the virus.

The Chinese community in Rome said there won’t be any public celebrations of the Lunar New Year on Feb. 2 either for the same reason.

source: The Associated Press

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”