The third flight from India is ready to take off on February 26 to bring back Indians stuck in Chinese province Wuhan amidst Coronavirus outbreak. Union Health Ministry of India in a statement has said that Air force flight departure is being planned for February 26 and all the evacuees will be in India by February 27. Indian official, however, has earlier said that China had delayed in giving clearance to C-17 military transport aircraft, the Indian Express reported. Around 100 Indians, including students, have been on stand-by for last few days and are expecting evacuation from the Hubei province, the report said.
Many students, among others, were asked to stay back as they did not get travel clearance in time last time when Indians were being evacuated, the report added. India sent its first plane out for evacuation on February 1, 2020, that had brought 324 Indian nationals from coronavirus-hit Wuhan. The plane carried five doctors and paramedical staff for screening people. Among the evacuees, there were 110 working professionals and 211 students. Upon arrival, they were quarantined in a facility in Manesar, Haryana and were monitored for possible infection.
Meanwhile, the second flight by Air India landed in New Delhi on February 2. It had brought 323 Indians and seven Maldivians along with it after evacuating them from Wuhan.
In China, the government officials have announced that they would ease up the quarantine of Wuhan. However, the city is still determined to avoid the spreading of the novel Coronavirus to other regions. More than 2,500 people have succumbed to this disease globally. Outside China, there have been 17 deaths within 28 countries. Before people from China, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea were screened, but now travellers to Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Nepal will also be checked and screened at international airports.
