SIYUAN YANG
Chinese construction companies are withdrawing their workers from West Africa due to Ebola virus outbreak.
The Chinese government has not yet disclosed plans to withdraw citizens from Ebola-affected areas, and many of the current plans for evacuation have been privately organised.
General manager of Shanxi Construction Engineering Corporation Yang Lin said they will be withdrawing staff from Liberia from 11 August.
“We have 43 staff in Liberia and we [have] decided to withdraw 32 of them; the remainders stay and look after the building site,” Mr Lin said.
“The remainders are recommended staying at site, while avoiding physical contact with others and they have to use disinfectant when backing to the site from outside.
“According to local government’s policy, all works have been stopped temporarily.”
An emergency state has been declared in Liberia in an attempt to minimise the spread of the disease.
The Australian Government has strongly advised Australians against traveling to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, although limited commercial flights continue to operate.
According to the World Health Organisation, the total number of cases across the three countries has reached 2600 since December, and 1427 have lost their lives.