New Delhi (NVI): India has initiated preparations for evacuation of its nationals from China’s Hubei Province in view of the outbreak of deadly infectious disease new coronavirus.
While giving this information, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted, “Our @EOIBeijing is working out the logistics & is in touch with the Chinese govt. authorities & our nationals on this matter. We will continue to share updates.”
As per reports, Air India has kept a Boeing 747 plane on standby for the evacuation of Indians stuck in China’s Wuhan city, the epicentre of novel coronavirus outbreak. The death toll due to the infectious disease has climbed to 106.
Yesterday, the MEA had said that the Indian Embassy in Beijing is in touch will all Indians, including students in Wuhan and Hubei province. The ministry also added that until now, no Indian in China has been affected by the virus.
According to the latest report by WHO, out of 2,798 cases reported to the global health body so far, a whopping 98 per cent are in China. The WHO in its report also said that of the 37 cases outside China, 36 had travel history to Wuhan or other cities in China.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has set up a helpline for queries on the novel coronavirus. “A 24*7 Call Centre is active for responding to queries on #ncov2020,” the Ministry said in a tweet today. The 24/7 helpline is +91-11-23978046.
“If you seek any help, you may call to know details about District and State Surveillance Officers & in case of any clinical query connect with Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) Officer,” the Health Ministry added.
