Coronavirus: Passengers on flight from Wuhan, China, 'relieved to be in NZ'

Wednesday, 5 February 2020

Passengers from flight NZ1942 depart Auckland Airport in buses for quarantine in Whangaparaoa. Published February 5

Passengers evacuated from the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak are 'relieved to be in New Zealand', a government official says.

An Air New Zealand flight carrying 198 passengers, including five pilots, 11 cabin crew, and medical engineering staff, touched down in Auckland just after 6pm on Wednesday.

Passengers from the Air NZ charter flight from Wuhan to Auckland on their way to quarantine in Whangaparaoa.

Several hours later the first of seven buses carrying them arrived at the Whangaparaoa naval base where they will be quarantined.

The first buses carrying the Wuhan evacuees arrives at the naval base for quarantine.

Gulf Harbour locals stand outside the Whangaparoa training facility to welcome the Kiwi evacuees who arrived from Wuhan.

The evacuees, all wearing face masks, waved and appeared in high spirits as they rolled through the gate shortly after 9.30pm, escorted by police. A small throng of locals, some with signs, waved back.

At the airport, Ministry of Health's director-general Ashley Bloomfield said nobody on the flight had become unwell and there were no suspected cases.

* Coronavirus: Kiwi evacuees from Wuhan expected in New Zealand late on Wednesday

* Coronavirus: What you need to know**

The buses leaving Auckland International airport.

'I met with some of those who had arrived and they're all very relieved to be in New Zealand, just very tired,' he said.

Bloomfield said one person had been unable to board the flight due to health reasons but he did not know if they were from New Zealand.

Around 60 people who had expressed interest in going on the flight did not turn up, Bloomfield said.

There were no further plans to bring anyone home.

Two more buses carrying evacuees are about to arrive at the Whangaparaoa naval training base.

The two large coaches were seeing passing through the peninsula settlement shortly before 8pm.

Earlier, evacuees aboard the first two buses waved to locals who had formed a welcoming party at the gate.

Passenger Aaron Mahon, who was on board the flight, told TVNZ's 1 News everyone clapped when the plane landed, which was 'such a wonderful feeling'.

He said: 'The staff are amazing, so personal and so helpful.

'Every person was so safe on the flight'.

New Zealand evacuees from Wuhan arrive at Auckland Airport.

St John medical director Tony Smith, who had travelled on the plane back from Wuhan, said it had been a 'long and demanding week'.

'The passengers were very stressed and tired, it was a long process for them.'

Passengers were only allowed to bring carry-on luggage and many were wearing several layers of clothes.

He said deciding to head to Wuhan to help with the flight had been an easy decision.

'It was the right thing to do.'

Dr Ashley Bloomfield says passengers on the coronavirus evacuation flight from Wuhan, China, were feeling tired but well. Video from February 6.

The Air New Zealand flight evacuated close to 200 New Zealanders, Australians and Pacific Island nationals from Wuhan.

THE FLIGHT

Flight NZ1942 departed Wuhan, China, at 6.45am on Wednesday, and landed at Auckland International Airport around 6.12pm.

There were 54 New Zealand citizens on board, and 44 New Zealand permanent residents on Chinese passports.

Also on board were 35 Australian passengers – 23 citizens and 12 residents on Chinese passports.

Hibiscus Coast local Seb Gibbs with his sign to welcome the evacuees to the area,

A number of foreign nationals were also on the flight, predominantly from the Pacific.

Passengers included those from Papua New Guinea (17 passengers), Timor Leste (17), Samoa (5), Tonga (4), Fiji (2), Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, Uzbekistan and the Netherlands (one from each). Eight British nationals were also on board.

QUARANTINE

All evacuees would be quarantined for 14 days at a military facility on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, north Auckland, with the exception of those from Australia.

Australian passengers were transferred directly onto a flight to Australia.

By 7pm, passengers were being processed at a building away from the main airport terminal.

'They're receiving health information and then will be heading to the centre,' Bloomfield said.

There was a police presence at the airport, with at least two unmarked police cars and a motorbike.

At 8.15pm, the first two buses departed the airport and headed to their temporary home.

The buses were flanked by an aviation security vehicle and a police escort.

The gate at the Naval training facility in Whangaparāoa was a hive of activity, with police, security and defence personnel regularly coming and going.

A smattering locals also gathered at the gate.

Bus drivers taking the evacuees from China to Whangaparāoa.

'This is the biggest thing to happen to the coast ever,' teenager Seb Gibbs said.

His mate George O'Driscoll, also 15, said the last time anything as eventful had happened was when a Punjabi music video was filmed in the town, in which he and his friends had appeared.

Lexia Bridger was waiting with her dog Bennie, hoping to wave at the evacuees as they arrived in the buses to show them they were welcome.

'It's historic,' she said.

Other locals have come with signs of welcome as some on the road in hoist Kiwi flags.

But not everyone was happy. 'It's the unknown that gets me,' said Masi Alacoze, who was fishing on the beach with his two sons.

Dr Ashley Bloomfield, director-general of health, speaks to media after the arrival of flight NZ1942 from Wuhan.

In his view, the virus was not as serious as SARS but he was worried about how it might mutate.

He believed the Government reacted too late to the outbreak.

Down the beach, John and Del Cloete were more relaxed as they walked their dogs.

The entrance to the Whangaparāoa training facility where the Kiwi evacuees from Wuhan will be quarantined for 14 days.

Evacuees will be housed at the Whangaparāoa Training Facility for two weeks.

'They've got to put them somewhere,' Del Cloete said.

'It's not like they're going to be allowed down to the shops.'

Five Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and Ministry of Health (MOH) staff were already on board when the plane arrived in Wuhan, and another three MFAT consular staff boarded in Wuhan.

All MFAT and MOH staff on the flight will also go into isolation at Whangaparāoa.

About 60 people who registered interest in the flight did not arrive at the airport without notice, and some chose not to catch the flight.

There was one person who was stopped from boarding by Chinese authorities at the health pre-screening check.

Air New Zealand's head pilot Captain Dave Morgan told RNZ the airline would take full responsibility if one of its crew contracted the novel coronavirus on the charter flight bringing New Zealanders home from Wuhan.

Morgan said there was a low risk of the crew contracting the virus because of pre-flight screening.

Now that the flight has landed, the plane will receive a special cleaning service that Air New Zealand uses in similar medical event situations.

The flight crew will be given time off, but will not be quarantined.

HOW DEADLY IS THE VIRUS?

Novel coronavirus is believed to have originated from a live animal market in Wuhan, China.

Kiwis returning from China have been told to self-isolate for two weeks to cover the incubation period of the virus which has so far killed about 427 people.

The first death outside China occurred in the Philippines.