ANKARA 

As the deadly coronavirus rapidly spread and claimed hundreds of lives at its epicenter in Wuhan, China, Turkey dispatched a military cargo plane to evacuate 42 people, including dozens of Turkish expats.

The A400M plane successfully brought back 32 Turks, six Azerbaijanis, three Georgians and an Albanian to the capital Ankara late Saturday, where they are being held under quarantine until mid-February.

Among them is a 35-year-old researcher who witnessed developments in Wuhan as the crisis rapidly escalated, with the death toll climbing and the Chinese government fighting back through such measures as a quarantine.

"The first reports about the virus were somewhere around Jan. 10-15. Chinese PhD students I spoke to back then said there was nothing to worry about and the state had the virus under control," said the Turkish man, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"But things escalated quickly after Jan. 20 and access to Wuhan was prohibited, which in fact completely changed social life," he said, adding that this naturally led to panic in a city with a population of 11 million.

"All large shopping malls, gathering places, and even major parks were closed and streets were suddenly empty," he said. Even some bridges over the Yangtze River were closed, with only certain vehicles allowed to cross.

He said he did not know anyone who was infected as the New Year’s holiday had just begun when the quarantine process started and the university, where he spent most of his time, was already shut down.

"I just heard on WeChat that one of the Pakistani PhD students got sick and was transferred to a hospital for treatment," he said. "Ambulances were going in and out of the neighborhood."

Quarantine

When Beijing launched the quarantine process on Jan. 23 in a bid to contain the virus, there was an initial wave of panic among its residents. Some tried to escape the city, while others sought to stock up on food and supplies.

The Turkish evacuee was among those who rushed to grocery stores to fill their cupboards. He bought around five days’ worth of food, fearing it would be very difficult to find it later. But he later realized that this was unnecessary, as the Chinese government had already taken measures on this front.

"It was all in vain. I soon learned there was a market nearby where you could access pretty much anything. Apparently, some markets in the city were assigned to distribute basic food items and fresh fruit and vegetables," he said.

He went on to say that he heard that some students living in rural areas of Wuhan had problems finding protective masks, but getting food was no problem, unlike some social media rumors.

The Chinese government responded well to the outbreak, he said.

"Although the Chinese state first attempted to hide it, I believe now it’s doing its best. That's because there was a huge backlash from people, especially on social media."

"They now follow a more transparent and unifying policy," he said, praising the government for quickly building hospitals capable of accommodating thousands of patients.

"The building of these hospitals was streamed live online and watched by millions. Donation drives were held all over the country, with money donated by both the public and companies," he added.

He added that the evacuation to Turkey was carried out without any problems and the Turkish Embassy in China helped significantly.

"The most difficult part was transportation to the airport, as it was stopped throughout city. Through the embassy's collaboration with the Chinese state, four buses were arranged and people were taken from their homes," he said.

"Now we’re in quarantine for 14 days, which is going to be difficult, given that we had already been under quarantine in Wuhan before coming to Turkey," he added.

Tracking outbreak

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak, which originated in Wuhan in December, has risen to nearly 500, with more than 24,000 confirmed cases.

Besides China, the virus has spread to more than 20 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Singapore, France, Russia, Spain, and India.

Many countries have evacuated their citizens from Wuhan and other affected areas of China, placing them in isolated medical care.

The World Health Organization last month declared the outbreak an international emergency.