South African Airways has thanked the airline’s crew for successfully flying the chartered aircraft which repatriated citizens from Wuhan, where the coronavirus originated.

The crew and 112 South Africans were cleared to return to their families on Sunday after testing negative for the coronavirus in a second round of tests since their arrival from Wuhan, China.

Following a 14 day quarantine period, none of the repatriated South Africans have tested positive for COVID-19 including the crew that operated the repatriation flight.

By agreeing to operate the evacuation, the crew exemplified the spirit of Ubuntu and Thuma Mina, whose ethos is that the greatest responsibility for man is humility, discipline, empathy, generosity and volunteerism.

Having emerged from the quarantine period with no COVID 19 infection, the crew can now play a vital role in conscientizing and advising their communities in South Africa, about the coronavirus.