Report says an official diplomatic document emerged stating that the Chinese Government detailed how 72 Nigerians tested positive for COVID-19 in Guangzhou, China.
The document, REF. No. SWZ (2020) 0128, dated April 22, 2020 by the Foreign Affairs Office, Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government, outlined the profile of the cases and advised Nigerians resident in China to comply with the law of their hosts in controlling the pandemic.
The PUNCH earlier published a story on Thursday, April 23, 2020, ‘Evacuation: 72 Nigerians, 111 other Africans in China test positive’, which some Nigerians have debunked, claiming that the story was false.
The official communication between the two countries has, however, validated the story that the Chinese Government actually wrote its Nigerian counterpart, informing the Federal Government of its staggering findings among Africans in Guangzhou.
The document, written to the Consulate General of Nigeria in Guangzhou, read in part, “The Foreign Affairs Office of Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government presents its compliments to the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Guangzhou and has the honour to summarise the current situation of Nigeria citizens in Guangzhou concerning the COVID-19 pandemic:
“According to the data reported on 21st April, 2020 by the Guangzhou Municipal Health Commission, among Nigerian citizens in Guangzhou, there are 16 confirmed cases, 56 cases have been tested positive and 65 cases of close contact.”
“We hereby kindly request the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Guangzhou to urge Nigerian citizens in China to comply with the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infections Diseases, Law of Frontier Health and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China, Public Health Emergency Regulations, etc., support and cooperate with the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government for any work related to the prevention and control of COVID-19.
“Also, remind them to carry out self-protection, reduce outdoor activities, avoid going to crowded areas; do not organise or participate in mass gathering.
“We hereby extend our gratitude to Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Nigerian citizens in Guangzhou for your kind understanding, support and cooperation.”
Earlier on Friday, Nigerians resident in Guangzhou, China, denied reports that 72 members of the Nigerian community in the city tested positive for coronavirus.
They claimed that none of their community members returned positive, adding that they were all given a clean bill of health by the Chinese authorities after their tests.
Also reacting to the report on Friday, a resident of Guangzhou, Mr Blessed Isaac, insisted that no Nigerian had tested positive for the virus in China.
He said,
“It is falsehood. No Nigerian has tested positive for coronavirus in China. Chinese security agents and officials have been harassing us and most of us went into quarantine and we just completed our 14-day quarantine.”
Another resident, Frank Onyeka, claimed that he tested negative for the disease, adding that he was tested thrice.
“All of us in my group tested negative. We are about 50 in our hotel where we were quarantined and we shared our experiences,” he said.
A businessman, Johnson Chinonso, said many Nigerians were quarantined and released after testing negative.
THE PUNCH
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