U.S. Man Refuses To Evacuate Wuhan After Rescuers Won't Save His Chinese Wife And Child

An American dad currently based in coronavirus epicenter Wuhan, China refused to take the chartered flight to San Francisco, U.S.A. on Tuesday following the U.S. rescue flight’s ban on Chinese spouses. The man, Benjamin Wilson, promised not to leave Wuhan without his wife and daughter taking the jet back home with him.

Louisiana-born Wilson is currently living in Wuhan with his wife and their seven-year-old daughter. While he would love to leave Wuhan to escape the outbreak, he said he could not afford to fly back to the U.S. without his wife.

“I would consider sending my daughter, if that were an option,” he said. “But, I wouldn’t leave my wife. But if my wife and daughter could travel together, then absolutely yes,” he said.

In a bid to rescue all the 1,000 Americans registered as living in Wuhan, the U.S. consulate in the coronavirus hot spot scheduled a flight from Wuhan to San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday. However, a ban on Chinese partners was imposed due to limited space inside the plane.

On Saturday, the State Department issued a statement regarding the chartered evacuation flight and confirmed that it would give priority to individuals at greater risk from the virus. “The Department of State is making arrangements to relocate its personnel stationed at the U.S. Consulate General in Wuhan to the United States. We anticipate that there will be limited capacity to transport private U.S. citizens on a reimbursable basis on a single flight leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport on Jan. 28, 2020 and proceeding directly to San Francisco,” the statement read.

The American evacuees who left Wuhan on Tuesday were forced to pay for their spot on the Boeing 767 jet, which could only accommodate up to 230 passengers. Upon their arrival in San Francisco, they would be quarantined and screened for the coronavirus.

Aside from Wilson, hundreds of others also failed to join the flight to San Francisco due to limited space. “U.S. citizens are finally being contacted, only so many can go,” said U.S. citizen Dr. Diana Adama. “The rest of us staying here and are giving up seats to let children go with their mothers,” she added.

Another American, Scott Allis, took to Facebook to describe their situation in Wuhan, saying, “I have applied for a seat. I haven’t been informed that I will definitely have a place on the flight.”

As of this writing, the coronavirus has already infected at least 4,428 people and killed 106 in China.