Wuhan evacuee: UAE was our saviour

Dubai: A Sudanese student who was in Wuhan for about six months said it was nothing short of salvation when the plane from the UAE arrived in Wuhan in China to evacuate him to bring him to the UAE.

Ahmed Fath Al Alim, a 34-year-old PHD student at Wuhan University of Technology, told Gulf News from his quarantine room in Emirates Humanitarian City, that the UAE has restored the hopes of not just him, but all 215 people who were evacuated from Wuhan to the UAE.

“We were stranded in Wuhan for months with no thought of leaving the infected city until we were told that the UAE will evacuate us. When I saw the airplane on the runway in Wuhan, I felt it was salvation from the sky,” Al Alim said.

Al Alim, who is not infected from corona virus, said he was terrified of being treated like an outcast coming from an infected city, but the smiles on the faces and warm welcome from the UAE authority melted his heart.

He said that he saw how evacuations of people of other nationalities in Wuhan took place, with nobody coming close to them and disinfectants being sprayed.

“I was expecting the same procedure, but I was plesantly surprised. Smiling faces greeted us in the UAE and we were repeatedly told we are guests and more than welcome in the UAE. It was unbelievable,” Al Alim told Gulf News.

Al Alim, who arrived at the Emirates Humanitarian City in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday with other Arab nationals, was to undergo medical testing and monitoring at the city to ensure his health and safety.

“The pilot kept telling us we are guests of the UAE. On arrival, there were many medical and technical groups to facilitate the procedures. I felt proud to be welcomed in this way. What UAE did was beyond expectation.”

Al Alim said that the medical teams at the Humanitarian City helped relieve the stress he was suffering for months in Wuhan.

“In Wuhan, I was in a university dorm with instructions not to leave the rooms. It was tough and hard and kept me afraid. The stress level was high until I arrived in the UAE,” Al Alim added.

He said that he spent his first night sleeping peacefully in his room at Emirates Humanitarian City. He would contoinue to be there for 14 days before returning to his country.

“Here I’m not worried to be infected. Thanks to UAE leaders for their help. They were our hope to leave Wuhan,” Al Alim said.

In Wuhan, Al Alim said, “The university would bring us food on a weekly basis. We could not meet with our friends for long as officials were afraid of the virus spreading. I would sit in the room studying, checking the internet and speaking with my family in Sudan,” Al Alim said.

“The roads were deserted, all movement on the streets was for vehicles who delivered food to residents,” he said.