Coronavirus: MEA To Request China For Evacuation Of Indians From Wuhan, Say Officials

The government on Monday decided to prepare for possible evacuation of Indian nationals from Wuhan city in coronavirus-hit Chinese province of Hubei. India's Ministry of External Affairs will request Chinese authorities for evacuation of Indians from Wuhan, officials said on Monday. China is reeling under the coronavirus epidemic which has claimed 80 lives so far.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba which carried out a detailed review of the situation arising out of outbreak of coronavirus in China. It was also decided that shipping ministry will initiate screening of people at international ports having traffic from China. The Shipping Ministry informed that necessary communication has been sent to the national port authorities. They were also directed to follow up with the Inland Waterways Authority of India, and coordinate with the maritime states.

The Centre has stepped up vigil in areas bordering Nepal in view of a confirmed case of novel coronavirus detected there. The Union Health Ministry on Monday said teams of healthcare professionals have been deployed in West Bengal's Panitanki and Uttarakhand's Jhulaghat and Jauljibi in Pithoragarh district, bordering Nepal.

Till Sunday, 29,707 passengers arriving in India in 137 flights have been screened for novel coronovirus infection symptoms and no case has so far been detected in India. Over 100 people have been kept under observation in Kerala and Maharashtra following screening for a possible exposure to the novel coronavirus, which spread in China.

The Prime Minister's Office on Saturday reviewed India's preparedness to deal with any situation amid mounting global concern over rising cases in China.

A 24x7 NCDC call centre (+91-11-23978046) has been made operational to monitor the list of contacts furnished by the Ministry of External Affairs; provide details of district and state surveillance officers to those who seek them; and in case of any clinical query, direct the concerned to the relevant Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) officer.

Thermal screening is being done at seven designated airports -- New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi.

Novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the virus that has so far killed 80 people and affected 2,744 in China is a novel strain and not seen before. It has emerged from a seafood and animal market in China's Wuhan, and is suspected to have spread to as far as the United States. According to the World Health Organisation, the common symptoms of the novel coronavirus strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

(With PTI Inputs)