India Seeks Two Flights to Bring Back Nationals From Hubei
Over 250 Indians, mostly students, are stranded in Hubei.
(Bloomberg) -- India has sought permission to operate two flights to bring back its nationals from China’s Hubei province, foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet.
Over 250 Indians, mostly students, are stranded in Hubei, according to news reports. Hubei is the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in which 132 people have died so far.
The south Asian nation, which hasn’t reported any cases so far, is also screening people entering its borders. India is screening passengers at 21 airports and checkpoints across six states bordering Nepal, according to a statement from the ministry of health. Four new laboratories have been set up apart from the Pune-based National Institute of Virology.
At last count, India has screened 155 flights with 33,552 passengers, according to a Jan. 28 statement. The government had said it is awaiting permission from China to evacuate Indian nationals from Wuhan.
All 27 samples tested so far have been negative, the Indian health ministry tweeted.
To contact the reporter on this story: Archana Chaudhary in New Delhi at achaudhary2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Ashutosh Joshi, Abhay Singh
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