The four Croatian nationals were among the 250 passengers from 15 or so European countries who arrived this afternoon aboard a France jet from China at a military base near Marseilles. Although there is no indication that any of the passengers have contracted the coronavirus, for precautionary reasons all will undergo a 14-day quarantine, the length of the incubation period.
After 14 days and if there are no symptoms of the disease, they will be able to return to their countries of origin.
The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs would like to thank the French authorities for their efforts and professionalism in evacuating some 430 European citizens to France. We would also like to thank once again the Chinese authorities for their assistance in the past few days.
Only the competent French services are allowed to greet the passengers from Wuhan. During the quarantine period, no direct contact can be made with the Croatian nationals.
Croatia, as the Council of the EU chair, has a special role in coordinating activities, therefore the Croatian Embassy in Paris is in constant contact with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Simultaneously, the Croatian Embassy in Beijing, together with the EU Delegation to China, cooperated closely with the Chinese authorities.
In light of the current situation, the Croatian presidency on 28 January decided to activate the Integrated Political Crisis Response (IPCR) mechanism proactively to ensure the EU member states are prepared for all possible scenarios in case of a coronavirus epidemic.
More on the IPCR:
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/ipcr-response-to-crises/