Kashmiri students to be brought from Iran soon
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Feb 29: Government of India is contemplating to evacuate around 350 Kashmiri students stranded in Iran following cancellation of their flights after around three dozen Coronavirus deaths were reported from that country.
Chief Secretary of BVR Subrahmanyam and Financial Commissioner Health, Atal Dulloo, today held meeting through video conferencing with Secretary Health Government of India, Preeti Sudhan, to discuss the preparedness of dealing with Coronavirus in J&K.
The Chief Secretary raised the issue of Kashmiri students stranded in Iran where around three dozen people have died of Coronavirus, the highest in any country outside China.
Preeti assured the Chief Secretary that Health Ministry is in touch with External Affairs Ministry and they are working out evacuation plan of Indian students and other nationals stranded in Iran.
These students who are mostly studying Medicine in Iran are making frantic calls to their parents to help them in evacuation from Iran. A parent said that her two daughters are studying Medicine in Iran and two days ago they were fine but they are now in panic after death toll increased. “We are worried about their safety and urge Government to evacuate them immediately”, she said.
An official said that GoI is in touch with Iranian officials and the nationals who are stranded will be identified and Iran will allow evacuation of only those who are not symptomatic to Coronavirus. Once the formalities are completed then only they will be evacuated and sent to quarantine back home
It may be mentioned here that over the last few weeks several people including students and pilgrims have arrived from Iran especially from worst hit province of Qom. J&K Government is trying to locate these people and keep an eye on their health.
The Government of India early this week issued travel advisory asking people to avoid non-essential travel to Iran, North Korea and Italy where Coronavirus deaths have been reported recently. People with travel history of Iran, North Korea and Italy since February 10 have been asked for 14 days quarantine.
It may be mentioned here that around 120 people mostly students arrived in J&K from China recently with 34 evacuated from Wuhan. They were quarantined and samples of some of them with fever and respiratory ailments were taken but all of them tested negative for the COVID-19. One of the students who was evacuated from Wuhan along with 34 Kashmiri students on Feb 1 has developed some symptoms. He has been shifted to SKIMS Soura from home quarantine and his samples have been taken and sent for testing.
In the meantime, two out of 138 people including crew members of Cruise Ship Diamond that was stranded at Japan coast for controversial quarantine are from Jammu. These Indian nationals were evacuated on February 26 and six of them had tested positive for Coronavirus.
The two from Jammu will arrive home tomorrow or day after and will be quarantined for 14 days as a precautionary measure.
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