IAF's C-17 aircraft to evacuate more Indians from Coronavius-hit Wuhan in China

India will send a C-17 military aircraft to Coronavius-hit Wuhan in China on February 20 to evacuate more Indians. The C-17 Globemaster, the biggest military aircraft in the Indian Air Force, will also carry a large consignment of medical supplies to China. Last week, India had announced that it will send medicines as well as other medical supplies to China.

All 248 people at an Army camp in Manesar and another batch of 100 at an Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) facility, quarantined at these two places after being evacuated from Wuhan earlier in February, were discharged on Tuesday, news agency PTI reported quoting officials. 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.

The remaining people housed at the ITBP camp will be released by February 19 (Wednesday) morning. 

A total of 647 Indians and seven Maldivians were brought back from Wuhan on 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. On February 17, a batch of about 200 people was discharged from the ITBP camp, which housed a total of 406 people, including seven Maldivians.

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', PTI 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 on February 1 on an Air India flight," said a student wearing a mask after being discharged.

So far 317 people out of total 406 have left the ITBP centre after being declared free of novel coronavirus by the doctors. All those who were discharged have been provided with conveyance till the airport, railway stations, or bus stands. Among those who will leave the facility on 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.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that two of the three medical students who had tested positive for coronavirus infection in Kerala have now been discharged. The condition of the third one is stable, he said.

China's National Health Commission on Tuesday said the death toll due to the outbreak has climbed to 1,868 while the total number of confirmed cases jumped to 72,436.