Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday urged External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to see that Indians stranded in Iran in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak there get medical help and general assistance.
Iran is among the countries grappling with the outbreak, which has claimed 194 lives in that country.
“In the wake of the alarming Covid-19 issue, I voiced my concerns to Dr. S. Jaishankar ji, Union Minister of External Affairs regarding more than 40 Indian citizens stranded at Qom city in Iran. They are distressed and in urgent need of medical help and general assistance (sic),” Mr. Pawar tweeted.
Iran’s health ministry on Sunday reported 49 fresh deaths from COVID-19, the highest toll within 24 hours since the outbreak in the Islamic republic. This brings the number of those killed by the virus in the country since mid-February to 194.
The virus has spread to all of Iran’s 31 provinces with 6,566 confirmed cases. Iran has closed schools and universities until early April, and suspended major cultural and sporting events and reduced working hours to slow the contagion.
‘No positive case in State’
Meanwhile, the samples of 258 people admitted to hospitals for suspected exposure to novel coronavirus in Maharashtra have returned negative and they have been discharged, State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Sunday.
He said 15 people are still under observation in Mumbai and Pune. Maharashtra has not reported any positive case of coronavirus so far, Mr. Tope said.
Of the people still under observation, 13 are admitted in Mumbai and two in Pune, the minister said.
A government statement said 1,09,118 passengers from 904 flights have been screened at Mumbai and Pune airports since January 18. Till now, 560 people have returned to the State from regions affected by coronavirus, it said.
