He writes exclusively for Manorama from Ground Zero as he along with 62 other Indians are stranded in Wuhan and are awaiting rescue.
Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, has been almost completely isolated as it is suspected coronavirus likely originated here. After the airport here was shut, public transport services, including trains, are no longer available.
Out of the 63 Indians at our college 34 are Keralites. The numbers rose as eight students from other regions too joined us.
We still don't know when we would be able to move out of Wuhan though authorities are trying to evacuate us. Though it was said that the personnel at the Embassy of India in Beijing would make arrangements for us to leave Wuhan, via road, the Chinese authorities reportedly did not give nod. Therefore, it is clear that our wait might further prolong.
The Embassy officers had checked if we could be taken to Changsha (the capital of Hunan province), via road, and then be taken in a train to some other province so that we could catch a flight thereon. However, the administration reportedly instructed to avoid the road trip to curb the spread of virus.
We also got an unofficial information that a chartered flight would be arranged by the Ministry of External Affairs of India. We are now pinning our hopes on this.
Authorities have arranged for vegetables for three more days as food was getting short as a few other students from outside joined us. We are completely on a vegetarian diet. Arrangements have been made at the college to frequently check for any ailments, including fever.
