All Indians evacuated from Wuhan

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 2

India today temporarily suspended e-visa travel for people from China and said any Indian with travel history to China since January 15 this year could be quarantined.

The government took these stringent containment measures on a day when India confirmed a second positive case of novel coronavirus which has now claimed 304 lives in China where the national infection numbers soared to 13,700.

Of the new batch of evacuees, 300 were lodged today at ITBP-run Chawla camp quarantine facility in Delhi and 30 were sent to Haryana’s Manesar. India has now evacuated 647 citizens from Hubei province of China, which is the epicentre of the outbreak.

As global infections rose and India reported an additional case, the government urged people not to travel to China.

After a high-level sixth review meet on the virus by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba this evening, the government issued fresh travel advisories for China saying, “Due to certain current developments, travel to India on e-visas stands temporarily suspended with immediate effect. This applies to holders of Chinese passports and applicants of other nationalities residing in the People’s Republic of China. Holders of already issued e-visas for travel from China to India may note that these are no longer valid. All those who have a compelling reason to visit India may contact the Embassy of India in Beijing or the Indian consulates in Shanghai or Guangzhou, and the Indian visa application centres in these cities.”

Health Special Secretary Sanjeeva Reddy said Indians should refrain from travel to China. “In case of travel, on return from China they could be quarantined. Anyone with travel history in China since January 15, 2020, and from now on could be quarantined.”

The Cabinet Secretary held the review meeting on the preparedness for novel coronavirus today with Secretaries of Health, External Affairs, Home Affairs, Civil Aviation, Health Research, and representatives from ITBP, Armed Forces Medical Services and National Disaster Management Authority.

As of today, India had screened 58,658 passengers from 445 flights. A total of 142 symptomatic travellers were picked up by the system and referred to isolation facilities.

So far 130 samples have been tested of which 128 have been found negative. “The two positive cases found in Kerala are being monitored and are clinically stable,” Health Secretary Preeti Sudan said. The government urged people to practice hand hygiene. People have been advised to keep a distance of one metre from anyone with flu-like symptoms.

In a fresh set of instructions, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said testing of only one swab sample is enough, as against the earlier two, in suspected novel coronavirus cases, a Maharashtra health official said.

Govt issues fresh advisory

• The government on Sunday issued a new travel advisory asking people to refrain from travelling to China in view of coronavirus outbreak in its Hubei province and said travellers on return from the neighbouring country could be quarantined
• In its advisory, the Health Ministry also said anyone with travel history of China since January 15 could be quarantined
• The decision of issuing a new travel advisory was taken at a high-level review meeting held by the Cabinet Secretary on the preparedness to deal with novel coronavirus.

At quarantine camp, evacuees celebrate

New Delhi: Following their successful return to India from Wuhan in China, Indian evacuees in the quarantine camps are literally shaking a leg! A video that’s been going viral since Sunday morning shows the camp inmates with protective masks on, dancing energetically to some “desi” music. The video was shared on social media by Air India’s PRO Dhananjay Kumar. IANS

Second novel CoV case in Kerala

India on Sunday reported second case of coronavirus with another person from Kerala, who recently returned from China, testing positive. The condition of both patients was 'stable'.

e-visa for Chinese suspended

India has temporarily suspended e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners in China. The Indian Embassy announced: “Holders of e-visas may note that these are no longer valid.”

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