Yeo (left) and Balachandar have been stranded in Wuhan since the outbreak began and are hoping to evacuated as soon as possible.
SIBU: A Sarawakian student and his state sponsored university mate, who are stranded in Wuhan, China after it was locked down due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, are expecting to be evacuated by the end of next week, said Sarawak China Graduates Alumni Association chairman Dr Wong Siu Eing.
Wong said he had been in touch with Ivan Yeo Zhi Yu, 19, from Bintulu and Balachandar Subramaniyan, 43, who is originally from Peninsular Malaysia, and he was informed that they were in good spirits although food is becoming scarce.
“I was told that the situation remained under control and currently, the duo, together with 74 other Malaysians stranded in Wuhan, are waiting for the Malaysian government’s evacuation plan to bring them home,” he said when contacted by The Borneo Post.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had yesterday said Malaysia was prepared to bring home its citizens from Wuhan if it gets the green light from the Chinese government.
Meanwhile, Wong said the two students of Wuhan’s University of Geosciences had stockpiled their food items, including masks, protective gears and hand gloves since the outbreak but they were slowly running out.
He revealed that they had ventured out to replenish their stockpile but were unsuccessful since almost all the shops and supermarkets in the city are closed.
“However, this morning, I was told that Balachandar managed to buy some groceries and vegetables from the storekeeper next to his university. The rest of the food items were all sold out,” he said.
Wong said the duo told him that there was some anxiety among people at their location but they managed to remain calm.
Since the lockdown of Wuhan on Jan 23, the embassy and Consulate-General Personnel have swung into action, reaching out to Malaysians stranded there, registering their details and identifying their whereabouts.
A first year-student, Yeo had planned to return on Chinese New Year’s Eve on Jan 24. He is currently staying alone at the university and had been in close contact with his family members and friends through social media.
Balachandar, a civil servant based in Kuching, was sent by the state government to Wuhan to take up his PhD studies and is supposed to complete his course by September this year.
At the moment, he is staying with his wife and two children at the hostel.
Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province in central China with a population of 11 million, is the epicentre of the global coronavirus outbreak.
China’s National Health Commission earlier today confirmed that the death toll had risen to 170, with more than 1,700 cases.
The virus, which is believed to have originated in a market trading in wild animals in the central Chinese city of Wuhan has also infected nearly 7,000 people in China.