Students at Wuhan still waiting for govt help

By REBECCA KUKU
THE 21 PNG students stranded in Wuhan City where the coronavirus was first detected are still waiting for the Government to help them.
They have also been warned not to speak to the media about their situation.
However, sources from the PNG embassy in Beijing told The National that at the moment, the embassy did not have the funding to assist the students.
Also in an earlier interview, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Secretary Barbara Age told The National that they needed to “pull together resources” to assist the PNG citizens in China, including the 21 in Wuhan city.
Some of the students who agreed to speak to The National on the condition of anonymity said they were offered space on an aircraft sent by the Australian government but could not afford the fee charged by the Australian government for quarantine purposes.
“Australia sent a plane to evacuate its citizens and Pacific Island students were offered seats on that flight. However, we were told to sign a waiver which was too expensive, so we stayed back.”
Another student said they did not board the plane because the embassy in Beijing did not clarify whether they were required to pay for the airfares or the quarantine.
“We were also not sure if the Chinese government would allow us to board the plane or just Australian citizens as the city is in lockdown and no one is allowed to go in or come out,” the student said.
Another student said the airport was far from where they were staying and there was no transport arrangement to go to the airport.
“But the Chinese authorities have been good to us, they’ve been taking care of us, and we are in voluntary quarantine and just staying in our rooms.
“Although we are afraid and want to go home, we are taking precautions and looking after ourselves the best we can with whatever resources provided.”