The medical team is likely to set up its first clinic at Qom, a city in Iran, by the evening to start screening for coronavirus.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that an Indian medical team will reach Iran on Thursday for screening Indians stranded in Iran amidst the coronavirus outbreak in the country which killed at least 77 people. He further added that the ministry is working on the logistics with their Iranian counterparts for the evacuation of all Indians stranded there.
The medical team is likely to set up its first clinic at Qom, a city in Iran, by the evening to start screening for coronavirus.
"Update for Indians stranded in #Iran and for their families: Our medical team for screening arrives in Iran today. Hope to establish the first clinic at Qom by this evening. The screening process will start immediately thereafter. Working on logistics of return with Iranian authorities," Jaishankar said.
As per media reports, roughly, 100 Indian students and 300 pilgrims, mostly Kashmiri, are stuck in Iran.
Earlier, Iran had given permission to India to evacuate its citizens. In a note verbale, Iranian mission said, "The Ministry of Health of the Islamic Republic of Iran has communicated its full preparedness for carrying out the needful medical examination on the basis of relevant health protocols in respect of screening the Coronavirus at the health centers established in the Imam Khomeini International Airport, Tehran, and also at other points of exit from Iran, including land borders" which "could be used in favour of Indian nationals at the time of their departure from Iran."
Iran has reported most coronavirus deaths outside China after Italy, with 92 deaths. Many top Iranian government officials have also been infected with the virus. The Health Ministry, meanwhile, are sending military officials, on a door-to-door mission to sanitize homes.
The Iranian government has closed universities due to the coronavirus crisis and asked students to vacate their hostels.
Meanwhile, in India, a total of 29 positive cases of coronavirus has been detected in India so far.
Other than the three Kerala patients who recovered, all the cases were reported this week, including a man in Delhi who returned from Italy, six people from Agra who came in contact with him, a techie in Hyderabad who travelled to the city from Bengaluru after coming from Dubai, a group of 16 Italian tourists who travelled to Rajasthan, one driver who was accompanying the tourists, and Paytm employee in Gurgaon who recently returned from a vacation in Italy.
"On conducting contact tracing of the person tested positive in Delhi, we came to know that he infected 6 members of his family who are in Agra. All 6 members tested positive for coronavirus," Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said in a press conference, adding that "14 out of 21 Italian nationals have found positive for coronavirus. They have been sent to at Indo-Tibetan Border Police's (ITBP) quarantine facility in Chhawla."
"We have requested all hospitals in Delhi to develop good quality isolation wards, in order to stay prepared if more cases of coronavirus are suspected in the national capital," he added.
The minister also announced that from now on, passengers on all international flights will be screened instead of just 12 countries that were listed earlier. "From now on, all flights and passengers will be part of universal screening, not just the 12 countries which we had listed earlier," he said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Representational image")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}