Coronavirus: India asks China for permission to operate two flights to bring back nationals

MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar says the Indian Embassy in Beijing is in touch with Chinese authorities on the ground to work out necessary logistics

Medical staff is seen outside the special isolation ward specialised in receiving any person who may have been infected with coronavirus, at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, in Chennai on January 28, 2020.

India has requested China for permission to operate two flights to bring back its nationals from the Hubei Province, the epicentre of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the Indian Embassy in Beijing is in touch with Chinese authorities on the ground to work out necessary logistics.

“Chinese Government requested for permission to operate two flights to bring back our nationals from Hubei Province,” Mr. Kumar said in a tweet.

He also shared the appeal of the Indian Embassy in China to all Indian citizens in Hubei who have not yet contacted the mission to do so on the given hotlines or dedicated email ID.