PSA says it is continuing to work with French and Chinese authorities as Paris mulls repatriating its citizens in Wuhan by air later this week.

Some 56m people in several major Chinese cities are reported to be effectively in lock-down as Beijing struggles to work out how to stop the contagious coronavirus from spreading any further than it already has.

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The French automaker is evaluating the potential of exfiltrating its 38 expatriate employees in Wuhan where it has three plants in the Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroen Automobile (DPCA) joint venture and has flagged up establishing a safe corridor for coaches to take staff to Changsa and from there by air to France.

“We are in permanent contact with French and Chinese authorities, because we are part of a global and coordinated plan,” a PSA spokesman told just-auto from France, which has already quarantined three people in Paris and Bordeaux with the coronavirus. Several more countries including Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam and the US have also recorded coronavirus cases, whose symptoms include fever and respiratory difficulties.

The French patients are currently in isolation, with the Health Ministry launching an in-depth epidemiological investigation.

The government has also suspended flights between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Wuhan, while fact sheets and posters in French, English and Chinese have been sent to domestic and overseas airports with links to China.

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Passengers arriving from China, Hong Kong and Macau will be processed at Charles de Gaulle Airport by airport staff as well as other professional medical personnel and Health Ministry paramedics.

“The French State is currently making a count of all French citizens in Hubei Province to offer them rapid repatriation by direct flight between Wuhan and Paris to those who want it, accompanied by a medical team, in agreement with the Chinese authorities,” said a French government statement.

“On their arrival on national territory, those persons concerned will be confined in a centre for 14 days, the maximum incubation period for the virus.”

The French government is also advising its citizens travelling in areas affected by the virus to:

  • Avoid contact with animals, alive or dead
  • Avoid going to markets selling live or dead animals
  • Avoid all close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infection
  • Do not eat non or partially-cooked meat
  • Wash hands often with soapy water or alcohol-based solutions

In case of respiratory infection symptoms – fever and coughs/respiratory difficulties – it is recommended:

  • To wear a surgical mask if in contact with other people
  • To use throwaway handkerchiefs and to thoroughly wash hands regularly
  • On China trips, consult a local doctor quickly