Evacuation by India of its citizens & other nationals from COVID-19 affected countries

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The Government of India undertook evacuation operations from several countries in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Wuhan city in Hubei province of China had become the epicentre of the COVID-19 and there were hundreds of Indians stuck in the city. India engaged with China to safely evacuate its citizens and citizens of other friendly nations on a priority basis.

Air India operated two special flights for the evacuation efforts which brought back 654 passengers that included 647 Indian citizens. The first batch consisting of 324 Indians were evacuated from Wuhan, China, on February 1, 2020, and 104 of them were quarantined for monitoring at ITBP Chhawla camp and the rest 220 were housed at the army facility at Manesar.

The second batch of 330 passengers (including 7 Maldivian citizens and two Indian Embassy officials who were on the ground to coordinate the evacuation efforts) arrived in India on February 3, 2020, and  300 of them (including 7 Maldivians) were housed at ITBP Chhawla Camp while 30 others were shifted to Manesar facility for monitoring.

All of these evacuees were placed in the isolation facilities for 14 days. They were tested twice and were found negative for COVID-19. They were discharged on February 18, 2020.

On February 26, Indian Air Force evacuated 112 passengers from Hubei province in China. They included 76  Indian citizens. The other nationals evacuated by Indian Air Force  included citizens of Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives, China, USA, Madagascar, and South Africa. The passengers reached India on February27  and subsequently housed at ITBP camp for a period of 14 days as per protocol. They have tested negative for COVID-19 in the first test. The IAF flight had also carried medical supplies which were given as good-will gesture to China.

Japan (Diamond Princess Cruise Ship) : The Japanese Cruise Ship, Diamond Princess, carrying 3,700 passengers faced a COVID-19 outbreak when 705 passengers tested positive. Among the 705 affected passengers, 16 were Indian nationals. On  February 27, Air India flight carried an evacuation operation bringing back 124 passengers including 5 foreign nationals from Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa and Peru, from Port of Yokohama in Japan. Sixteen Indian nationals who tested positive for COVID-19 are undergoing treatment. The evacuees are housed at army facility in Manesar. They have tested negative in the first test.

Monitoring and surveillance of Indian nationals in Iran : As it became clear that Iran was also facing a COVID-19 outbreak, Government of India started to undertake measures to ensure safety and security of its citizens in the country. Indian nationals in Iran include pilgrims, students, and fishermen. On March 7, 108 samples were received from Iran. These samples are being tested at the laboratory of AIIMS. Also, six scientists from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have been stationed in Iran. Equipment and reagents have also been dispatched to enable them to setup a lab. India is expected to undertake operations to evacuate its citizens soon.

So far, Government of India has evacuated 890 passengers from COVID-19 affected countries. Out of these, 842 were Indian citizens and 48 belonging to different nationalities including Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, US, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa, and Peru, according to a PIB release.