Four Hospitalized Among Japanese Charter Flight Returnees from Wuhan...Symptoms Include Fever and Cough

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Among the 206 Japanese nationals who returned on a chartered flight dispatched by the Japanese government to repatriate Japanese residents staying in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, 4 were immediately transported to a hospital upon return due to fever and cough symptoms. The Japanese government stated that all passengers without symptoms would also undergo virus testing and be asked to refrain from going out for two weeks, considering the incubation period.

According to local Japanese media such as NHK, on the morning of the 29th, among the 206 Japanese nationals staying in Wuhan who returned to Tokyo Haneda Airport via the chartered flight arranged by the Japanese government, 4 were transported to a hospital immediately after landing due to symptoms such as fever over 37 degrees Celsius and coughing. Health, Labour and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato said at a press conference, "I heard that their condition is not serious, with only a slight fever." It has not yet been confirmed whether they are infected with the novel coronavirus.

The remaining 202 people were transported by pre-arranged buses to the National Center for Global Health and Medicine for examination and virus testing. Those who were found to have no symptoms there moved to their homes to wait for test results, and those whose homes are far from Tokyo stayed at government-arranged accommodations until the test results came out. If they are confirmed negative, they will be allowed to return home. The Japanese government requested that returnees, even if their test results are negative, stay at home for two weeks considering the incubation period, refrain from going out, and pay close attention to their health condition.

Earlier, the Japanese government first dispatched one chartered flight to Wuhan the previous day to repatriate 206 Japanese nationals residing in Wuhan, and plans to dispatch additional chartered flights to bring back all residents wishing to return. According to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 650 Japanese residents in Wuhan and the Hubei Province area have expressed a desire to return.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.