WRAP | 9 points about the mission to fly home South Africans from coronavirus-hit Wuhan

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday met with the team heading to Wuhan in China to repatriate 122 South African citizens.

"Go with speed, with God and bring our children back home," Ramaphosa said at OR Tambo International Airport ahead of their departure. "Thank you very much for having taken on this mission."

Here are 9 points you should know:

1. About 122 citizens living in Wuhan are expected to return home

2. The flight leaves from OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday at 21:00

3. The flight will stop over in the Philippines on Wednesday for refuelling, to rest and to restock essential foodstuffs

4. After the stopover, the aircraft will fly to Wuhan City where it will remain for about 8 hours

5. Screenings and checking of required travel documents will take place

6. The flight will leave Wuhan City in the early hours of the morning and land back in South Africa on Friday

7. No South Africans coming home are showing any symptoms of the Covid-19 virus

8. The group will be quarantined for 21 days upon their arrival under the supervision of the SANDF

9. The mission costs R25 million

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The mission would cost R25 million and included 151 members of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF), according to the letter Ramaphosa sent to National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise to inform Parliament of the deployment.

MORE HERE:

General Solly Shoke makes sure to ask for a bigger budget for the defence force.

Ramaphosa laughs.

Collaboration and cooperation between teams in Cabinet has been wonderful, Ramphosa says.

"I was on my way to Cape Town," when Mkhize phoned and requested that Ramaphosa come say goodbye to the team.

Mkhize says the whole mission comes from the president and he was also available to give directive.

Mapisa-Nqakula says it is true that they won't be sleeping, there have been misunderstandings but they are happy that the plane is about to take off.

"Up until a few minutes it was difficult," she says.

Ramaphosa says he is hugely impressed with how officials are prepared to screen people coming into the country through all ports.

"Here there are various levels and stages [of screening]," says Ramaphosa, compared to other countries.

The repatriated people will be put on lockdown under the supervision of the defence force, Ramaphosa says.

No disease will spill out of the unknown designated area because no sick people will be brought back.

"Go with speed, with God and bring our children back home.

"Thank you very much for having taken on this mission," Ramaphosa tells soldiers.

Ministers of health and defence are with Ramaphosa at the briefing.

He thanks soldiers for heeding to the call to repatriate South Africans from Wuhan, China.

"You are going on an important mission," Ramaphosa tells soldiers.

The stopover in Philippines will be about 48 hours where the aircraft will also be refuelled.

The aircraft will be on the ground in Wuhan for a maximum of 8 hours.

Ramaphosa and Mkhize are now in the room where patients are taken should high temperatures come up at the screening area.

Ramaphosa and Mkhize are now being shown the forms that are to be completed by travellers. The form takes about two minutes to complete.

Passports are also checked to see that the travel information provided by the travellers is correct.

The official says that they are compliant with all the processes.

The screening starts at the aircrafts from high risk areas.

Someone with high temperatures is sent to a nearby clinic. They look for symptoms too to take for clinical assessment.

A swab is then taken from suspect infections and sent to the NICD. The person is then quarantined.

A flight is scheduled to leave OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday night and return with 122 South Africans quarantined in Wuhan, China, amid the global coronavirus outbreak, the inter-ministerial task team handling the repatriation process has confirmed.

They are expected back in the country on Friday.

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The group will be quarantined for 21 days in South Africa, but should they show symptoms of the coronavirus, they will be quarantined for longer.

The quarantined site is still unknown to the public, but the details about it will be announced "at the appropriate time".

Upon arrival in Wuhan, the team will work with the Chinese government but also the staff of the Embassy in China, screening the repatriates and checking required travel documents. 

The flight will leave Wuhan City at the early hours of the morning and land back in South Africa on 13 March.

Of the initial 180 requests to return to South Africa, 122 citizens will return from Wuhan, China.

The other citizens have changed their minds and opted to stay in Wuhan.