Paris (AFP)
Two French returnees who returned from Wuhan, China on Friday, tested negative after suspected infection with the new coronavirus, Health Minister Agnès Buzyn said in the evening.
In addition, no new case of contamination was identified Friday in France and their total still amounts to six, according to Ms. Buzyn.
"Two people showed symptoms in this repatriation, one on the plane, the other on the bus. They were quickly brought to the Marseille university hospital center, where they were tested", and these returnees "are both negative ", explained the minister during the daily press briefing organized in Paris.
"They will be able to return to the center (and) leave the hospital soon," she added.
Departing from Wuhan, the cradle of the epidemic, on the night of Thursday to Friday, some 180 people, mostly French, arrived Friday afternoon in the holiday center of the seaside resort of Carry-le-Rouet, near Marseille, where they will remain confined for two weeks.
In addition, Ms. Buzyn said that the organization of a second repatriation flight was "being finalized".
The plane "should be able to land on Sunday, I cannot say more for the moment either on the number of people it will repatriate or on the final place of its landing," she said.
This is to relieve the teams that manage these calls and are currently "very mobilized to answer questions that are not medical," said Ms. Buzyn.
This number aims to answer questions that are not related to symptoms, such as people who wonder if they can continue to eat in Chinese restaurants and if receiving a package from China may involve the risk of contamination.
© 2020 AFP