MEA sets special cell to coordinate Covid-19 issues, Dammu Ravi appointed as point person

In a bid to rescue stranded Indian citizens abro due to coronavirus outbreak, Ministry of External Affairs has set up a special cell to coordinate issues related to Covid-19. ditional Secretary Dammu Ravi has been appointed as point person coordinating response to virus. In a tice issued on Sunday, MEA also informed that it has set up helplines that are proactively responding to queries over phone, emails and even social media to reach Indian community abro. 

"External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla are also personally monitoring situation," tice re.

virus spre, which has been declared a 'pandemic' by World Health Organisation (WHO), has so far claimed 5,844 lives across globe. 

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218 Indians from Italy's Milan brought back to India

Amid global outbreak of dely Coronavirus, 218 Indians, including 211 students from Milan, were brought back to National Capital by an Air India flight on Sunday. All will be quarantined for 14 days. Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan also took to his official Twitter handle and shared news. MoS also reiterated Government of India's commitment to reach out to Indians in distress globally. 

Post ir landing in Delhi, batch of 218 evacuees from Milan were shifted to Indo-Tibetan Border Police's Chhawla isolation camp for 14 days. "All 218 evacuees from Milan are being taken to our quarantine facility in southwest Delhi's Chhawla area. y will be re for over a fortnight as per quarantine procedures," an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) spokesperson said.

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Coronavirus in India

According to latest figures available on Sunday, total number of positive cases of Coronavirus in India has soared up to 107 as per Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Along with it, two deaths have been reported in Kalaburagi and West Delhi respectively. India has suspended all visas, barring for a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15.

Moreover, Centre has “strongly vised” Indians to avoid all n-essential travel abro. government is also monitoring all suspected cases and issued preventive visories. 

Taking into consideration rising number of Coronavirus cases, Central Government on Saturday decided to treat dely virus as a "tified disaster."

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