NEENAH — A Neenah, Wisconsin family is still stuck in Wuhan, China, waiting to fly back home. They remain in a holding pattern, but a local representative is now in their corner, working to get them out of the country.
Republican Representative Glenn Grothman of Campbellsport met with high up officials in the State Department on Wednesday.
He said those officials told him the Roth family is at the top of the list for evacuations.
"She has assured me that the Roth situation is their number one priority," Grothman said. "When you have an epidemic like this, the people most at risk are the very young and the very old, so that is why they are priority."
Daisy Roth and her two children, 10-month-old Adalynn and five-year-old Abigail, flew to Wuhan on Jan. 19 to see Daisy's family for Lunar New Year.
A few days later the city was placed on lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Daisy's husband and the kids' father, Sam, had reached out to Grothman's office for help.
TODAY’S TMJ4 spoke with Sam on Tuesday.
"If they're going to be stuck up in a home bored, I'd rather it here than there,” Sam said.
Wednesday morning a U.S. charter plane touched down in Southern California carrying more than 200 Americans getting out of Wuhan. The Roths couldn't get on the flight.
“The large lockdown in China means it's going to be more difficult for the disease to spread, but on the other hand it makes it more difficult to get anything done,” Grothman said.
Grothman said the State Department is figuring out how they're going to evacuate the Roth family and other U.S. Residents.
"They told me they're trying to get an airline, so whether that's a government jet, whether it's a charter jet, I have no idea," Grothman said.
However, he remains hopeful, one way or another, they'll get home soon.
"As long as the Roths are at the top of the list, I think that's the best we can hope for, given that they can't control really what's going on in China itself," Grothman said.
Grothman said a timeline for the Roth family's return is still unclear.
Sam tells TODAY'S TMJ4 "I am glad to know that they know about my family's situation. We're looking forward to developments."
