Coronavirus outbreak: Fourth batch of Indians from Iran arrive in India, says Jaishankar

In the wake of the novel Coronavirus, the fourth batch of the Indian evacuees from Tehran and Shiraz in Iran arrived in India on Monday morning. Reportedly, the fourth batch included 53 people, out of which 52 are students and one is a teacher. Further, the evacuees arrived at the Jaisalmer airport where they were screened and have been moved to the Indian Army Wellness Centre in the city. 

Taking to Twitter, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar stated that a total of 389 Indians have been evacuated from the Coronavirus-hit Iran. He further thanked the Iranian authorities and the Indian team for their efforts. 

 

Earlier, the EAM had announced that 234 Indians who were among the people stranded in Iran amid the Coronavirus outbreak have arrived in India. The flight carrying the Indians onboard landed in Mumbai. Among the 234 people, 131 of them are students and the rest are pilgrims.

Iran's death rate rises

The latest deaths take the overall toll in Iran to 608. Along with it, Iran has reported 12,729 confirmed cases. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour during a televised news conference announced the deaths. The Coronavirus outbreak in Iran is one of the deadliest in the world outside of mainland China.

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Coronavirus in India

As of date, the total number of positive cases in India has soared up to around 110 as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Along with it, two deaths have been reported in Kalaburagi and West Delhi respectively. India has suspended all visas, barring for a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance the visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15.

Moreover, the Centre has “strongly advised” Indians to avoid all non-essential travel abroad. The government is also monitoring all suspected cases and has issued preventive advisories. Earlier on Saturday, the Central Government decided to treat the deadly virus as a "notified disaster".

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The Coronavirus crisis

First detected in Wuhan in December 2019, COVID-19- the novel coronavirus has affected nearly 146 countries in the world. Presently, there are over 153,648 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of 5,746 people. As there is no vaccine or specific antiviral medicine to treat 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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(With ANI Inputs)