SAO PAULO: A group of Brazilians stuck in the Chinese city at the epicentre of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak has sent President Jair Bolsonaro a video aired on Sunday, pleading for help to return home.
Reading from a letter dated Jan 30 from the sprawling eastern city of Wuhan, they told him they were willing to be quarantined when they get back.
“As we write this letter, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus or symptoms of infection,” one of the group said.
There is no official figure as to how many Brazilians are in Wuhan. It was estimated to be about 70, although some of those citizens came home before the city was effectively shut off.
The government in Brasilia has said it is studying the possibility of repatriating Brazilians from Wuhan but there are diplomatic, budgetary and legal impediments.
Bolsonaro said on Friday that in order to carry out such an operation, a law must be passed guaranteeing that such people would remain quarantined when they return.
Brazil so far has no confirmed cases of coronavirus. - AFP