Coronavirus outbreak: Centre exploring options to help Indians stranded at Wagah

In its bid to rescue the stranded Indians, the Centre is exploring all options to help a group of Indians who want to enter the Indian territory but are stuck at the Wagah Border due to technical and legal issues, government sources said on Wednesday. As per sources, the group, a few days earlier, went to Pakistan via Dubai from Delhi.

However, the sports event was cancelled over the Coronavirus scare following which the group decided to return to India through the Wagah-Attari border. Furthermore, the sources claimed that if a person has travelled by air, then it is not possible to allow the person through land borders.

This came after India suspended its land border crossing points with Pakistan from March 16 in the wake of Coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, India has recorded third COVID-19 death and cases have risen to over 150 with Maharashtra recording the highest number at 45.

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India Evacuates 405 Citizens Stranded At Kuala Lumpur Airport

India has evacuated its 405 citizens, including students, stranded at Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the Indian High Commission said on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the Indian government approved AirAsia flights for Delhi and Vizag to help the stranded Indians.

The Indian nationals were stuck at the airport after the government, which on Monday banned the entry of passengers from EU countries, Turkey, the UK from March 18 till March 31 and also closed its doors to those from Afghanistan, the Philippines and Malaysia with immediate effect.

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Coronavirus crisis

As of date, the total number of positive cases in India has soared up to 152. The maximum cases of the virus have been reported in Maharashtra and Kerala. Meanwhile, three deaths have been reported. India has suspended all visas, barring a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance the visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15.

First detected in Wuhan in December 2019, novel coronavirus has affected nearly 148 countries in the world. Presently, there are over two lakh confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of nearly 9,000 people. As there is no vaccine or specific antidote to COVID-19, countries have been grappling with all possible mechanisms to contain its scope. So far, China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran have witnessed the most number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.

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READ: Coronavirus Live Updates: India records 3rd COVID-19 death in Maha;Cases rise to over 150