After delay, 361 Taiwanese fly back from Wuhan

Planes carrying 361 Taiwanese who had been stranded in China’s virus epicenter have returned them to the island.

The two charter flights landed late Tuesday and early Wednesday after weeks of negotiations between Beijing and Taipei.

Medical personnel wearing protective gear checked the passengers before they started a 14-day quarantine.

Many countries and territories evacuated their citizens from the city of Wuhan after China closed off the surrounding region and halted all public and commercial transportation as a virus containment measure.

But Taiwanese were caught in cross-strait politics since China claims the democratically governed island as its own territory and refuses to recognize Taiwan’s legal authority. One flight brought Taiwanese back to the island in early February before disputes delayed others.

Taiwan’s Health Minister, Chen Shih-chung, said both sides had been “extremely concerned” with making the flights happen.

Stringent checks and contact tracing have helped Taiwan keep its coronavirus caseload to just 47 among its 23 million people, with one death.

Meanwhile, China’s outbreak of the new coronavirus continues to subside with about three-fourths of people once infected now free of the illness.

The health ministry Wednesday reported 24 new cases over the past 24 hours, along with 22 more deaths. That brings China’s totals to 80,778 cases and 3,158 deaths since the outbreak began in December.

Nationwide, 16,145 people remain in treatment and 61,475 have been declared free of the virus and released. Nine of the new cases were reported outside Hubei province.

The virus that causes the COVID-19 illness has spread around the world, with Italy and Iran accounting for most illnesses and deaths outside of China.

The outbreak was slow to reach Latin America and the Caribbean, but 100 cases have now been confirmed there. Panama’s government confirmed the first death there and canceled classes and sports and cultural events in the capital.

Panama went from one confirmed case Monday in a recently arrived traveler to eight cases Tuesday in what may be a local outbreak.

Health Minister Rosario Turner said the dead man was a school director and two other teachers at the school have tested positive.