A student wearing a mask. (Jaco Marais, Netwerk24)
The South African government wants to repatriate all South Africans from the Chinese city of Wuhan where the coronavirus originated.
Also called COVID-19, it was first reported in Wuhan, Hubei province, in November 2019.
"The Cabinet has decided on this course of action after due consideration of the circumstances, and following several requests from the families of South Africans in the city," the Presidency said in a statement on Thursday.
It is estimated there are 199 South Africans in Wuhan, according to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
"At this stage, 132 of them have expressed the desire to be repatriated."
