Army creates quarantine facility for Wuhan-return students in Manesar

The Indian Army has prepared a quarantine facility in Manesar, around 50 kms from Delhi, for around 300 students who are expected to reach the national capital on Saturday after they are airlifted from the novel coronavirus-hit Wuhan City of China. The students will be monitored there for a few weeks by a team of doctors and staff members.

Air India’s 423-seater jumbo B747 plane left the country for Wuhan around 1.20 pm on Friday (January 31) to evacuate the Indian nationals from neighbouring country. Officials said five doctors and one paramedical staff is on board the flight. They said around 400 Indians are expected to be evacuated.

“The plane did a push back towards the runway at around 12.50 pm. It took off at around 1.20 pm on Friday. The departure got delayed a little from 12.30 pm scheduled time because of some pending clearances,” said a senior airline official. He said the plane is likely to return between 1 am to 2 am on Saturday.

The Army said the evacuated Indian students will be screened at the airport by a joint team of Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) and Airport Health Authority (APHO). It said the procedure of screening and quarantine will comprise two steps, the first one being screening at airport followed by quarantine at Manesar.

If any individual is suspected to be infected, the person will be shifted to isolation ward at Base Hospital Delhi Cantonment, it said.

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