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An aerial photo taken on February 2, 2020 shows the Huoshenshan field hospital in Wuhan, China, constructed to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus epidemic that has severely strained medical facilities. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s government has failed to act with enough urgency to evacuate the over 60 Iraqi students remaining in Wuhan, the Chinese city on lockdown amid the coronavirus outbreak, Iraqi students in the city have told Rudaw English.
Anas Mohammed Khalel, 21, is from the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad. He has been studying pharmacy at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan since 2017.
The students leave their dormitories once every five days due to the “tense conditions” outside, Khalel told Rudaw English.
"I go out to get necessities - for example water, which runs out fast, or food, because they distribute very little food at the university."
Mohammed Naser Salman, 24, lives across the hall from Khalel in the university dormitory. The fourth-year Pharmacy student told Rudaw English he has only been outside 4 or 5 times since the outbreak began.
"We try as much as possible not to go out, or to go out less often. If we have to go out, we have to wear a face mask. We have to protect ourselves well before going out," explained Salman.
They only leave their dormitories to buy food and other necessities "if there is a supermarket open", Salman said.
"The whole city is shut because of the quarantine. Food is scarce. All markets are closed. Even getting food is difficult for us."
The first cases of coronavirus were recorded in Wuhan at the end of December 2019. It has since spread to more than 24 countries, including Australia, Germany and Japan. Over 360 people have been killed and 17,000 people infected by the virus.
Most countries have already evacuated their citizens from Wuhan. Khalel asserted that the only foreign student left in the city are Iraqis and Iranians.
Iraq’s foreign minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakeem said on January 25 that his ministry was discussing plans to safely evacuate Iraqis from the country with the Chinese authorities. On January 28, Hakeem claimed a “private airplane” had been dispatched to evacuate the Iraqi students.
Such efforts have not been felt by the students in Wuhan. Khalel said the Iraqi Ambassador to Beijing "didn't care about us or even speak to us directly".
He blamed the Iraqi health ministry for preventing a plane from coming to evacuate them. Accusing the ministry of "lying", Khalel claimed to have learned from his mother, a dentist and the director of Baghdad’s al-Nasr Wal Salam Hospital, that the ministry had warned medics against flying to Wuhan to evacuate the students. Rudaw English contacted the Iraqi health ministry for comment on Khalel’s claim, but did not receive a response.
A Mahan Air plane is set to fly to Wuhan on Tuesday to evacuate Iranian students in the city, state-run IRIB TV reported deputy transport minister Shahram Ademnajad as saying on Monday.
Khalel and Salman confirmed that the Iraqi Cultural Portal in Wuhan had asked for their names to be registered to fly back to Iraq with the Iran-bound Mahan Air jet, but both said “nothing is guaranteed”.
‘Life has stopped’
Daily life as a student once meant heading to lectures, studying in the library, and going back to the dorm to cook. Now that they are seldom able to leave their dormitory, Khalel and Salman told Rudaw they feel confined.
"In the weekend, I would hang out with my girlfriend, or go to a cinema and watch a movie," Khalel said. "I would usually go to the playing fields with my friends to play football. It was a great time," he said, adding that he would spend most of his time with Russian and Moroccan students.
But he now spends his “boring” days "afraid", playing PUBG Mobile on his phone or watching a movie to pass the time.
Salman’s life has been turned upside down by the outbreak.
"The difference between life before and after the breakout of the virus is a 180 degree difference. It was a very normal life, but now there is no life. Everything is shut... From the minute you wake up to the minute you sleep, you remain in your room and there is no going out,” Salman explained to Rudaw.
"Life has stopped. Even our interaction with Iraqi students has decreased."
Though Khalel is indignant about the government’s response, he is unsurprised.
"I have nothing to say to this government because it doesn't represent us or any Iraqi person. It is a government that wasted the lives of 600 peaceful protesters," Khalel said in reference to anti-government protesters who have died in Iraq over the last four months. It would be "normal" for the government to let 61 more die, he reckoned.
Salman, however, was more diplomatic in his language to Iraqi officials, urging them to make the evacuation happen as quickly as possible.
"We urge all relevant authorities, the President, the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Higher Education...we are not infected, and if they are afraid of sending us an airplane, let them put up a quarantine at the airport or a hospital."
Anas Mohammed Khalel, 21, is from the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad. He has been studying pharmacy at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan since 2017.
The students leave their dormitories once every five days due to the “tense conditions” outside, Khalel told Rudaw English.
"I go out to get necessities - for example water, which runs out fast, or food, because they distribute very little food at the university."
Mohammed Naser Salman, 24, lives across the hall from Khalel in the university dormitory. The fourth-year Pharmacy student told Rudaw English he has only been outside 4 or 5 times since the outbreak began.
"We try as much as possible not to go out, or to go out less often. If we have to go out, we have to wear a face mask. We have to protect ourselves well before going out," explained Salman.
They only leave their dormitories to buy food and other necessities "if there is a supermarket open", Salman said.
"The whole city is shut because of the quarantine. Food is scarce. All markets are closed. Even getting food is difficult for us."
The first cases of coronavirus were recorded in Wuhan at the end of December 2019. It has since spread to more than 24 countries, including Australia, Germany and Japan. Over 360 people have been killed and 17,000 people infected by the virus.
Most countries have already evacuated their citizens from Wuhan. Khalel asserted that the only foreign student left in the city are Iraqis and Iranians.
Iraq’s foreign minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakeem said on January 25 that his ministry was discussing plans to safely evacuate Iraqis from the country with the Chinese authorities. On January 28, Hakeem claimed a “private airplane” had been dispatched to evacuate the Iraqi students.
Such efforts have not been felt by the students in Wuhan. Khalel said the Iraqi Ambassador to Beijing "didn't care about us or even speak to us directly".
He blamed the Iraqi health ministry for preventing a plane from coming to evacuate them. Accusing the ministry of "lying", Khalel claimed to have learned from his mother, a dentist and the director of Baghdad’s al-Nasr Wal Salam Hospital, that the ministry had warned medics against flying to Wuhan to evacuate the students. Rudaw English contacted the Iraqi health ministry for comment on Khalel’s claim, but did not receive a response.
A Mahan Air plane is set to fly to Wuhan on Tuesday to evacuate Iranian students in the city, state-run IRIB TV reported deputy transport minister Shahram Ademnajad as saying on Monday.
Khalel and Salman confirmed that the Iraqi Cultural Portal in Wuhan had asked for their names to be registered to fly back to Iraq with the Iran-bound Mahan Air jet, but both said “nothing is guaranteed”.
‘Life has stopped’
Daily life as a student once meant heading to lectures, studying in the library, and going back to the dorm to cook. Now that they are seldom able to leave their dormitory, Khalel and Salman told Rudaw they feel confined.
"In the weekend, I would hang out with my girlfriend, or go to a cinema and watch a movie," Khalel said. "I would usually go to the playing fields with my friends to play football. It was a great time," he said, adding that he would spend most of his time with Russian and Moroccan students.
But he now spends his “boring” days "afraid", playing PUBG Mobile on his phone or watching a movie to pass the time.
Salman’s life has been turned upside down by the outbreak.
"The difference between life before and after the breakout of the virus is a 180 degree difference. It was a very normal life, but now there is no life. Everything is shut... From the minute you wake up to the minute you sleep, you remain in your room and there is no going out,” Salman explained to Rudaw.
"Life has stopped. Even our interaction with Iraqi students has decreased."
Though Khalel is indignant about the government’s response, he is unsurprised.
"I have nothing to say to this government because it doesn't represent us or any Iraqi person. It is a government that wasted the lives of 600 peaceful protesters," Khalel said in reference to anti-government protesters who have died in Iraq over the last four months. It would be "normal" for the government to let 61 more die, he reckoned.
Salman, however, was more diplomatic in his language to Iraqi officials, urging them to make the evacuation happen as quickly as possible.
"We urge all relevant authorities, the President, the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Higher Education...we are not infected, and if they are afraid of sending us an airplane, let them put up a quarantine at the airport or a hospital."
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