Chinese mainland authority on Thursday urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration in Taiwan to allow the mainland's chartered flights to send nearly 1,000 Taiwan compatriots in Hubei Province back home.
The DPP administration should take the Taiwan compatriots' appeal into serious consideration and approve the chartered flight plan of China Eastern Airlines as soon as possible, said an official with the cross-Strait affairs office of Hubei Province.
Among the Taiwan compatriots who are staying in Hubei due to the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic, nearly 400 are under the age of 18 or elderly aged 60 or above, and nearly 80 have chronic diseases. They are all eager to return to work, go back to school or seek medical treatment, the official said, adding that nearly 85 percent of them came to Hubei before the epidemic only for short visits.
They have had to stay in Hubei for more than half a month due to obstructions made by the DPP administration on planned chartered flights of China Eastern Airlines, though the first such flight sent 247 people to Taiwan on Feb. 3.
After being quarantined for over 14 days, none of them have been found to suffer COVID-19, the official said.
Two Taiwan compatriots who were previously confirmed as COVID-19 patients in Hubei have been discharged from hospital after recovery, the official said.
The cross-Strait affairs authorities at various levels in Hubei have constantly kept the Taiwan compatriots informed on epidemic prevention and control information and assisted them in epidemic prevention and daily life, said the official. Enditem
