India prepares to airlift first batch of citizens from Wuhan amid coronavirus outbreak

After China witnessed the deadliest day of Coronavirus fatalities, India has started preparing to airlift the first batch of its citizens from Wuhan, confirmed the Indian Embassy in Beijing. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had made a formal request to China to facilitate the evacuation of Indian nationals from Wuhan, the epicentre of the Coronavirus outbreak. 

India has been continuously monitoring the situation in China and the Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reviewed the preparedness against novel Coronavirus including an evacuation plan. Screening of passengers with travel history from China has been extended to 13 more airports and the ministry is procuring more thermal scanners for faster screening.

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First case in India

Amid the looming threat of a pandemic, a student in Kerala, studying at Wuhan University, has been tested positive of deadly coronavirus that has claimed at least 170 lives till date. The patient is currently stable, being closely monitored and has been kept in the isolation ward at a hospital. 

The Indian Embassy in China is maintaining close contact with its nationals in Wuhan city and elsewhere in Hubei. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar informed that the Indian Embassy has opened three hotlines to respond to concerns of those affected by this situation.

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Meanwhile, the Director-General of the World Health Organization has decided to reconvene the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on the new coronavirus on January 30. The meeting is aimed at getting advice on whether the current outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

“WHO deeply regrets the error in this week's situation report, which inserted the word “moderate” inaccurately in the #coronavirus global risk assessment. This was a human error in preparing the report. I have repeatedly stated the high risk of the outbreak,” tweeted Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

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