Union minister for External Affairs Dr. S Jaishankar on Sunday assured Indian citizens stranded in Iran that all necessary steps are being taken to bring them back home as Iran battles with a coronavirus outbreak.
Jaishankar said that the government is collaborating with the Iranian authorities and is in the process of setting up a screening procedure to ensure the safe return of Indian nationals stranded in Tehran and other parts of Iran.
Jaishankar tweeted that he has noticed several Indian citizens tweeting about their distress as Iran prepares to tackle a coronavirus outbreak.
{{/usCountry}}Jaishankar tweeted that he has noticed several Indian citizens tweeting about their distress as Iran prepares to tackle a coronavirus outbreak.
{{/usCountry}}The total number of citizens affected due to the outbreak has now risen to 978 and 54 people have died due to contracting covid-19, according to Iran’s health ministry.
Jaishankar also said that he has asked India’s Ambassador to Iran Dhamu Gaddam to keep concerned citizens updated regarding any development.
Earlier on Sunday, the Indian embassy in Tehran had issued an advisory to Indian nationals asking them to follow guidelines set by the Iranian authorities and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The advisory outlined that the Centre is observing the evolving situation in Iran.
On Saturday, the Iranian embassy in New Delhi in a note verbale had asked the External Affairs ministry to adopt all measures to ensure affected nationals from both Iran and India can return home.
The coronavirus epidemic has now spread to 63 countries and has affected more than 88,000 people globally. 3,000 people have lost their lives due to contracting the covid-19 disease. The outbreak is suspected to have begun from a seafood and poultry market in Wuhan, China.