Coronavirus : 120 Indians being evacuated from Iran
New Delhi, March 12, 2020 : Air India flight with approximately 120 Indians being evacuated from Iran will be reaching Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, on 13 Mar 2020, where they will be quarantined at an Indian Army facility created under the aegis of Southern Command.
The patients will be transferred from the airport post their initial screening to the quarantine facility under escort of civil administration. Another batch of approximately 250 people being air evacuated from Iran on 15 March 2020 will also be landed and quarantined at the Army facility at Jaisalmer. The Army has also created quarantine facilities at Jodhpur and a number of other locations to assist the civil administration in their fight against the COVID19 pandemic.
Ministry of Defence has mobilised all necessary resources to support the national effort towards the management of COVID-19 cases.
At present, military is running two medical facilities at Hindon, Ghaziabad and Manesar, Haryana and a total of 265 civilians are under military supervision at these two facilities. As per DG AFMS, a batch of 124 cases have completed their 14 days of isolation at Manesar facility, have tested negative and are ready to leave the facility.
More facilities at Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Suratgarh, Gorakhpur, Jhansi & Kolkata are geared up to absorb any more citizens that are likely to arrive in India over the next few days.
Due to the large scale prevalence of Corona Virus around the world, Indian citizens who were in countries like China (Wuhan) and Iran were evacuated by Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft on two occasions. On the second occasion, a total of 57 pilgrims from Ladakh region who had visited Quom, Iran for pilgrimage, were brought by C-17 aircraft on 10 March 2020 to Air Force Station Hindan. These consisted of 33 women, 02 children and 22 men.
A quarantine facility has been established at AF Stn Hindan for these pilgrims which has all required facilities for rest and recuperation. The administrative arrangements (identification of buildings, perimeter security, food and water supply, bed and linen, laundry, housekeeping, entertainment, sewage disposal, transportation etc) has been organized at the camp and the medical support (daily examination, lab testing, advise on disinfection and bio-medical waste management, public health measures, management of symptomatic patients, surveillance, creation and referral to isolation wards at nearest hospital) has been organized by Indian Air Force authorities in liaison with local civil administration. The detailed protocols for patient transportation and referral to nearest designated / identified isolation ward of service / civil hospitals has been kept ready.
Detailed guidelines as mandated by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for quarantine in suspected COVID-19 cases has been implemented. The total period for quarantine is 14 days. The Indian Air Force, as part of the defence services support to civil authorities, would continue unabated relief measures till the situation is normal.
