There is news on the internet claiming that one of the Mongolian passengers who landed at Seoul’s international airport has been confirmed as having the coronavirus infection. One of our journalists from news.mn has clarified the report directly with A.Ambaselmaa, Head of the Surveillance Department at the National Centre for Communicative Diseases. Mr. Ambaselmaa said that the news was false. There is no news whatsoever about a Mongolian testing positive for coronavirus after flying to Seoul. We will give more information at tomorrow’s press conference.

The MIAT chartered plane departed to Seoul on the morning of April 8, carrying 261 passengers, including 249 Mongolian nationals, three Korean, one Russian, five French and three Australian citizens.  On the inbound flight, the plane brought back 267 Mongolian nationals from Seoul.

There were 44 elderly people and others requiring carer support, there were 43 people with health concerns, five pregnant women, 18 students and 49 people with small children and 50 people with others needing help. The plane also brought medical supplies from the World Health Organisation and pharmaceutical products from the Monos Group and Asia Pharma pharmaceutical companies to Mongolia.

The State Emergency Commission reported that 55 Mongolian nationals, who have been detained for up to two months in South Korea for illegally staying in the country, were also brought back to Mongolia on this flight as demanded by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea.  All of the passengers, cabin crew and medical professionals aboard were taken to a 21-day mandatory isolation centre immediately upon landing.

The government of Mongolia has arranged a total of eight charter flights to bring back Mongolian nationals abroad, who wish to return home, and nearly 1800 people have arrived in Mongolia until today, including 31 citizens from Wuhan, China soon after the coronavirus began to circulate.