Published 18:50 IST, February 2nd 2020
Coronavirus: Maldives' President Solih thanks India for evacuating 7 Maldivians from Wuhan
President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih expressed his gratitude to PM Narendra Modi for the evacuation of seven Maldivians from Coronavirus-hit Wuhan.
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President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for evacuating seven Maldivians from the epicentre of Coronavirus outbreak — the Chinese city of Wuhan. Following the return of 323 Indian nationals and 7 Maldives nationals from Wuhan to Delhi on the second Air India flight on February 2, Solih took to Twitter and described the gesture as a "fine example of the outstanding friendship" between the two countries.
My thanks and gratitude to PM @narendramodi, EM @DrSJaishankar and the Government of India for expeditiously evacuating the 7 Maldivians residing in Wuhan, China. This gesture is a fine example of the outstanding friendship and camaraderie between our two countries. https://t.co/2kdWLmYqft
— Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (@ibusolih) February 2, 2020
Furthermore, the Maldivian President also thanked the Chinese government along with China's ambassador to the Maldives, Zhang Lizhong for their 'support and assistance' amid the deadly outbreak. Coronavirus has already claimed more than 300 lives with nearly 14,000 confirmed cases in China.
Following the evacuation of Maldivians living in Wuhan, China, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank @AmbassadorZhang, and the Chinese government for their assistance and support to Maldivians living in China following the outbreak of the novelCorona virus.
— Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (@ibusolih) February 2, 2020
Maldivian FM thanks India
Earlier, Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid had also thanked India and its leadership for evacuating Maldivians. Shahid not only expressed his gratitude to PM Modi and the MEA but also appreciated the efforts of India's envoy to China Vikram Misri and to the Maldives Sunjay Sudhir. He also thanked Chinese authorities for their assistance.
Grateful to @MFA_China, @AmbassadorZhang and local authorities in #Hubei for the assistance. A very special thanks to our Ambassador in China Ms Azeema and Ambassador in Delhi @aishamdidi and their team. Thank everyone at @MoFAmv for the hard work.
— Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) February 2, 2020
As per the statement of the Health Ministry, travel advisories have been sent to adjoining countries including China to spread information about the disease globally. The screening of passengers with travel history from China which was earlier being carried out only on seven airports has been extended to 13 more, taking the total to 20. According to the press release by the government, the authorities have been using thermal scanners for faster screening.
18:50 IST, February 2nd 2020