Eastern Cape Midlands College has confirmed that a group of students who left the country on an exchange programme to China have not been affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Spokesperson, Elmari Van de Merwe, said they were in daily contact with the students who are based in the city of Suzhou, more than 700km's away from the central city of Wuhan where the virus first broke out in December.
She said they were also in touch with the Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange Centre which facilitated the year-long programme.
In a brief letter, the Centre said that parents concern for the safety of their children was understandable.
It referred to a statement by Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize who said this week that there was no evidence to support the "repatriation or emergency evacuation of South African citizens in China".
"At this time, it is safer for our students to stay where they are and take preventative measures as the risk of contracting the virus in transportation hubs (airports) and travelling in confined spaces for a long time (aeroplane) is much higher," the Centre statement said.
