New Delhi/Gurgaon: All the 248 people at an Army camp in Manesar and another batch of 100 at an ITBP facility, quarantined at these two places after being evacuated from coronavirus-hit Wuhan earlier this month, were discharged Tuesday, officials said, even as more Indians will be brought back from China by an IAF aircraft.
The remaining people housed at the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp will be released by Wednesday morning, the officials informed.
A total of 647 Indians and seven Maldivians were brought back from Wuhan February 1 and 2 in two 747 Boeing Air India aircraft after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China and kept at the two quarantine facilities.
Monday, a batch of about 200 people was discharged from the ITBP camp, which housed 406 people, including seven Maldivians.
All 248 persons, mostly students, who were quarantined at the Army camp left for their homes after being declared fit on Tuesday.
“All of them have tested negative for the respiratory virus in the subsequent tests after the completion of the 14-day quarantine period,” an official source said.
Military sources said India will send a C-17 military aircraft February 20 to Wuhan to evacuate more Indians from the virus-hit city.
The C-17 Globemaster, the biggest military aircraft in the IAF, will carry a large consignment of medical supplies to China and bring back more Indians. Last week, India had announced that it will send medicines as well as other medical supplies to China.
As the inmates left the quarantine facility on Tuesday, they thanked the Indian Army for the arrangements made at the camp, particularly the food, and raised slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, sources said.
“Due to the fear of coronavirus spreading rapidly, we appealed to the Indian embassy in China to rescue us. Our university also provided support to us. The documentation process took around eight days after which Indian Army evacuated us February 1 on an Air India flight,” said a student wearing a mask after being discharged.
All those who were discharged have been provided with conveyance till airport, railway stations, or bus stands.
Among those who will leave the facility Wednesday are a few families. All released persons were advised to remain self isolated for the next 14 days at their respective places, ITBP spokesperson Vivek Kumar Pandey said. They were also advised the dos and don’ts during the period.
PTI