Wuhan student develops symptoms, shifted to SKIMS
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Feb 28: Around 350 students stranded in Tehran are awaiting evacuation after Airlines cancelled operations from Tehran where around three dozen people have died due to Coronavirus.
These students were scheduled to come to Kashmir for annual holidays but are stranded in Iran after airlines cancelled their flights to the country following outbreak of COVID-19.
These students who are mostly studying Medicine in Iran are making frantic calls to their parents to help them in evacuation from Iran which has recorded highest number of deaths outside China.
A top Health official said that they are in touch with External Affairs Ministry to evacuate the stranded students from Iran. He said that they have been given assurance by the Ministry that they will take a call on their evacuation soon.
It may be mentioned here that over the last few weeks several people including students and pilgrims have arrived from Iran especially from worst hit province of Qum.
The Government of India two days ago issued travel advisory asking people to avoid non-essential travel to Iran, North Korea and Italy where Coronavirus deaths have been reported recently. People with travel history of Iran, North Korea and Italy since February 10 have been asked for 14 days quarantine.
In Kashmir, thousands of students and pilgrims visit Iran every year and several of them arrived home during last few weeks. However, none of them have been quarantined so far and it poses risk of coronavirus in Kashmir. However, an official said that they have identified a student who arrived from Iran recently and he is being quarantined.
It may be mentioned here that around 120 people mostly students arrived in J&K from China recently with 34 evacuated from Wuhan. They were quarantined and samples of some of them with fever and respiratory ailments were taken but all of them tested negative for the COVID-19.
And one of the students who was evacuated from Wuhan along with 34 Kashmiri students on February 1 has developed some symptoms. He has been shifted to SKIMS Soura from home quarantine and his samples have been taken and sent for testing.
The student is suffering from fever and respiratory infection. He has been kept in isolation ward in SKIMS under observation. The other 33 students are under home quarantine and medical teams are examining them on daily basis.
The COVID-19 has led to over 2800 deaths so far and it is spreading to more countries across the globe. Saudi Arabia has stopped foreigners from entering two holy cities of Mecca and Madina to prevent any outbreak of Coronavirus. The virus has impacted tourism and global economy.
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