Coronavirus: IAF evacuates 58 Indians from Iran, all test negative
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday (March 10) evacuated 58 Indians from Iran, amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The IAF had deployed its humungous C17 Globemaster aircraft for the extrication.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted pictures of the evacuees taken before they boarded the IAF plane in Tehran. The flight landed in Hindon airport of Uttar Pradesh.
First batch of 58 Indian pilgrims being brought back from #Iran. IAF C-17 taken off from Tehran and expected to land soon in Hindon. pic.twitter.com/IqZ8NUK1M6
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 10, 2020
All the passengers have tested negative for coronavirus and will be quarantined for 14 days, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said.
Swab samples of Indians stranded in Iran were brought to India on March 6, ahead of the evacuation.
According to international norms, only those who test negative can be transported. As per estimates, at least 1,200 Indians were still in Iran.
The coronavirus situation remained alarming in the country with the number of confirmed cases touching 44 on Monday.
On the day, five new cases were reported – one each from Kerala, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Punjab.
Harsh Vardhan said the active cases were 41, with three cases being discharged from a hospital in Kerala.
He said regular ‘contact surveillance’ has been initiated across the country for all cases having travel history from COVID-19-affected countries. Some domestic airports like Kochi in Kerala too were screening passengers for symptoms.
The minister said the country had handled the situation well, given its size and population. No death had been reported till date. On March 9, the government had also asked private hospitals to be ready to take in coronavirus cases and report it to the authorities.
He said the Centre was in touch with the states and asked them to take all steps to ensure adherence to the protocols.
