EU supports efforts to bring Europeans back from virus-hit areas

03:44

At the EU's Emergency response coordination center, staff are helping to organize the repatriation of citizens from China.

France is among countries to have sought financial and logistical assistance from Brussels to bring back its citizens from Hubei province, where the novel coronavirus outbreak began.

Johannes Luchner, director of Emergency Management and RescEU told CGTN that the first job is to identify EU citizens who are seeking help to return home.

"The most important thing for us is to make sure that when the operation starts and there are no hiccups," he said

Around 600 EU citizens are believed to be concerned and any wanting to leave will have to be screened before boarding a plane and then go into quarantine for 14 days, he said.