A total of 80 South Africans who arrived at the OR Tambo International Airport on Friday will be assessed and placed under quarantine, according to Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula.
He says all passengers travelling from countries that are considered high-risk for the spread of the coronavirus have been barred from entering South Africa.
Only permanent South African residents and citizens were allowed to disembark but were subjected to high-intensity screening and isolated or quarantined where necessary.
Other passengers on the planes are to be sent back to their countries of origin.
Mbalula says 68 Chinese nationals were not allowed to disembark from the Air China flight.
“68 Chinese nationals were not allowed to disembark the aircraft. On this flight, there were 80 South African nationals, among them students who were screened by port health. They were processed back into the country by the Department of Home Affairs Immigration Services prior to them being transported from the tarmac to a facility where the provincial communicable disease control division conducting clinical assessments that will inform applicable quarantine measures,” says Mbalula.
Foreign nationals from high risk countries will not be allowed to disembark the aircraft. Inbound crew will be screened and quarantined. South African citizens returning from high-risk countries will be clinically assessed and immediately quarantined. #ProtectingUProtectingUS
— ORTambo (@ortambo_int) March 20, 2020
We took our citizens from them as we are required by law, tested and quarantined them with Health Authorities.
Haak Matorokisi to the foreign nations, must go back home. Shouldn’t even disembark the plan. https://t.co/RmyQe64YUs
— Minister of Transport |Mr Fix (@MbalulaFikile) March 20, 2020
There are regulations that are being implemented that impose a ban on citizens from fight risk countries – Minister @MbalulaFikile
South Korea,
Italy,
Spain,
Iran,
Germany,
United State of America,
United Kingdom, and
China
France pic.twitter.com/jCv0rd7glo— MEDIA LIAISON | Esethu Hasane (@EsethuOnDuty) March 20, 2020
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