Finns return to Finland from Wuhan via France

A group of Finnish nationals, who were evacuated from Wuhan, the coronavirus hit city in China returned to the country on Friday, Foreign Ministry sources said.

Earlier, the Finns along with the nationals of other countries arrived France from Wuhan in Hubei province.

“The Foreign Ministry has assisted Finns on their return flight from Wuhan to Finland via France. The connecting flight from Paris was organised in cooperation with other Nordic countries,” said the ministry in a twitter post.

The Ministry, however, did not disclose the number of Finnish national or whether or not they would be quarantined, reported national broadcaster Yle. The name of the airport where the Finns arrived also could not be known immediately.

Earlier on Friday, the French paper Le Parisien had reported that the passengers flown to Paris from Wuhan were to be quarantined in Normandy. It noted that the flight held 28 French citizens and 36 nationals of other countries, said the Yle report.

The government urged the country’s people to avoid travelling to the coronavirus-hit regions in China.

National flag carrier Finnair canceled its flights to Beijing Capital Airport and to Shanghai during March 1 to March 28 (until the end of the winter season), as the coronavirus situation has led to a temporary decline in air travel between China and Europe.