New Delhi: The government on Monday began preparing for possible evacuation of over 250 Indians from Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the fast spreading coronavirus.
A meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba reviewed India's preparedness to deal with coronavirus amid mounting global concern over increasing number of cases in China and several other countries.
The meeting decided to take a raft of precautionary measures including screening of people at international ports having traffic from China as well as at the integrated check posts across Nepal border.
Following the meeting, the Indian Embassy in Beijing held a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
"In the meeting, Chinese authorities briefed on the steps taken by them to contain the spread of coronavirus outbreak. Various options for evacuating foreign nationals from Wuhan/Hubei province were also discussed," the embassy said in a note circulated on the social media.
"We continue to engage with the Chinese authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of Indian nationals in Hubei province. We will update you when we have more information from the Chinese authorities," it said.
The embassy said for any issues regarding food, water and other essential supplies, the Hubei Foreign Affairs Office has provided two helplines (027-87122256 and 87811173) on which the provincial authorities can be contacted round the clock.
"You may approach them on issues that you may face there. However, please also let us know about your concern with specific details so that we are also able to take it up with the authorities in Hubei," it said.
Wuhan has about 700 Indian students, majority of them studying medicine. There are also a number of Indian students pursuing their doctorate degrees from several universities in Wuhan and its surrounding areas.
While majority of the students have apparently left Wuhan the city a few weeks ago to avail the Chinese New Year holidays, over 250 to 300 Indian students are reportedly stuck in the city, triggering concerns over their well-being.
Wuhan and 12 other cities have been completely sealed by the Chinese authorities to stop the virus from spreading. The death toll climbed to 80 with 2,744 confirmed cases.
The statement said the ministry of civil aviation and ministry of health will make arrangements for transport and quarantine facilities respectively.
The meeting chaired by Gauba also decided that the civil aviation ministry will issue instruction to airlines for managing and notifying anybody reporting illness on all flights with direct or indirect connectivity to China.
Officials said the civil aviation ministry will also ask the airlines to make in-flight announcements and distribute "health cards" to all flights with direct or indirect connectivity to China.
The home ministry will ensure that integrated check posts initiate screening of visitors across Nepal border.
"States have been requested to provide health staff for these check posts. SSB/ BSF/Immigration officers manning integrated check posts have been sensitised," the statement said.
The Health ministry also held a meeting earlier on Monday with chief secretaries to review the preparedness and screening in five states having border with Nepal.
So far 29,707 people from 137 flights have been screened across the country.
436 people under observation in Kerala
At least 436 people, who returned to Kerala from China in recent days, are under observation for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus (nCoV), Kerala health officials said on Monday.
Five people are still under observation in isolation wards at various hospitals across the state, officials said, adding, all results of blood samples sent to the National Institute of Virology at Pune have been found to be negative for the virus.
While three people are in hospitals at Ernakulam, one each are in Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur, officials said.
Two people, admitted earlier to hospitals in Pathanamthitta and Malappuram, have been discharged.
Health minister K K Shylaja said necessary steps were being taken by coordinating with district medical officers.
"We have also opened isolation wards even though we have not received any positive cases in the state," she told the media.
Kerala seeks Centre help
Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijyan had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take immediate steps to bring back Indians, including Keralites, stranded in China's Wuhan province.
In a letter to Modi, Pinarayi said situation in Wuhan is worsening and India should send special flights to functional airports near Wuhan and Yichang provinces to airlift stranded Indian nationals.
"It may be appropriate to consider operating a special flight to Wuhan/a nearby functional airport and airlift the Indian nationals stranded there and bring them back to India", Pinarayi said, days after he shot off two letters to External Affairs minister S Jaishankar.
He asked Modi to give necessary instructions to the Indian Embassy in China to provide assistance and reassurance to Indians. He said medical professionals from Kerala could be deployed for evacuation of Indians from Wuhan.
"On behalf of the State of Kerala, I would like to offer the assistance of medical professionals from our side in case the Indians being evacuated from Wuhan are to be medically attended to", he said in the letter.
The Chief Minister had earlier written to Jaishankar, requesting steps to have a comprehensive assessment of the emerging situation and to provide necessary assistance to the people of Indian origin, most of whom are students of Wuhan University.
Chinese health authorities announced the death toll due to coronavirus has sharply increased to 80 with 2,744 confirmed cases.
Kochi airport preparations satisfactory
A team of doctors, deputed by the Union Health Ministry, has expressed satisfaction over Cochin International Airport's preparedness to prevent the spread of novel Coronavirus (nCov).
The five-member team inspected the airport and nearby hospitals on Monday.
"The team has expressed satisfaction over the arrangement made here. The doctors examined the passenger manifests and details of 178 passengers who were screened by the airport health officers," said a statement from the airport.
The team, comprising doctors including Pushpendra Kumar Verma, Ramesh Chandra Meena and Shoukathali, has visted Kalamassery Medical College Hospital where an isolation ward has been set up to observe patients.
While two persons, who returned from China are under observation at the Kalamassery Medical College Hospital, one is under observation at a private hospital in Ernakulam, Ernakulam district health officials said
Airport officials said 24 passengers were screened for for the virus but no suspicious case was reported.
(With PTI inputs)
