A lobby group representing Kenyans in the diaspora has asked the government to evacuate citizens who are presently stuck in South Korea following the outbreak of coronavirus.

Kenya Diaspora Alliance (KDA), through its Chairman Shem Ochuodho, on Thursday said it received a distress letter from at least 500 Kenyans who are trapped in the city of Daegu in South Korea, the second-most affected country by the dreaded virus.

“Just yesterday, we received a distress letter from the Kenya Community in Korea, a second-worst affected country after China,” Dr. Ochuodho said.

Ochuodho said most of the Kenyan nationals in South Korea are students and urged the government to repatriate and quarantine them in Kenya.

“Where possible, bring them home and perform appropriate screening. We urge the government to revisit its position to see whether it is not the appropriate time to evacuate Kenyans in both Wuhan and Daegu and bring them home,” Ochuodho added.

There are about 100 Kenyans stuck in China’s Wuhan city, the epicenter of the deadly disease that has so far spread to over 70 countries including the US, the UK, Italy, France, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, and Cameroon.

The disease has infected 96,268 people globally and killed 3,304, a majority of them in mainland China.