Published 09:27 IST, March 13th 2020
120 Indians evacuated from Coronavirus-hit Iran to be quarantined in Jaisalmer
Around 120 Indians who have been evacuated from Coronavirus-hit Iran will arrive in India today and will be quarantined at the Army facility in Jaisalmer
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Around 120 Indians evacuated from Coronavirus-hit Iran will arrive in India today. These Indians, who are being airlifted by Air India will be quarantined at an Army facility, in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan as per Defence sources. The next batch of approximately 250 Indians will be evacuated on March 15 and will also be quarantined at the Army facility in Jaisalmer.
"They will be quarantined at an Indian Army facility created under the aegis of Southern Command. The patients will be transferred from the airport post their initial screening to the quarantine facility under escort of civil administration," defence spokesperson Col Sombit Ghosh said.
The Ministry of Defence has set up seven more quarantine facilities for COVID-19 patients that are being evacuated from Coronavirus-hit countries. The facilities have been set up at Jaisalmer, Suratgadh, Jhansi, Jodhpur, Deolali, Kolkata and Chennai.
EAM on Indians in Iran
Yesterday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke about how the main focus of evacuation of nearly 6,000 Indians in Iran would be on Indian pilgrims followed by Indian students who have gone to the country to study medicine. He also revealed that about 1,000 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Gujarat and others were on longer-term stay visas in Iran for pursuing their livelihood.
"Direct flights between India and Iran stand suspended. As per initial samples, 229 out of 529 samples of Indians stranded in Iran have tested negative for Coronavirus," he said.
Meanwhile, India has suspended all visas, barring for a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance the visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15. Moreover, the Centre has “strongly advised” Indians to avoid all non-essential travel abroad.
First detected in Wuhan in December 2019, COVID-19- the novel Coronavirus has affected nearly 118 countries in the world. Presently, there are over 1,24,518 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of 4,607 people.
(With Agency Inputs)
09:27 IST, March 13th 2020