VISAKHAPATNAM: Trainee engineers, trapped in the locked down city of Wuhan in China following outbreak of coronavirus, returned home on Tuesday. All the 56 youths, quarantined in Manesar military hospital and Indo-Tibetan Border Police Hospital at Chawla Camp, were discharged on Monday and the Union Health Ministry gave them a clearance certificate.
All the youths tested negative for coronavirus at the end of the 14-day mandatory quarantine period. However, as a precautionary measure, the youths were told to be under 14-day home observation.
Rama Rajanya, son of AV Narasimha Rao, told TNIE after being discharged from the military hospitals, “I along with eight others boarded the available Indian Airlines flight to Vizag. Earlier, the first batch of youths arrived by IndiGo flight from Delhi via Hyderabad. Others are also coming by different flights. All of them are expected to reach home by night or Wednesday morning.” Owing to support by Panel Opto-display Technology Private Limited (POPTL), Indian Embassy, China and Indian Governments, we reached here safely, he said. He said though they were tense, it turned out to be a challenging and a new experience.
Narasimha Rao said parents along with their children want to thank the Indian Government for evacuating their children from Wuhan. He said his family members joy knew no bounds at the sight of his son who landed at 7.30 pm.
“It was a right decision taken at a right time by the government to evacuate children from Wuhan. Had there been any delay, the children may have faced the risk of contracting the virus,” Swapna, mother of S Priya, said. She said they are feeling relieved now.
Priya said, “We left for Wuhan for training on August 19 and were to return on February 15 after completion of training. However, owing to outbreak of coronavirus, our return was doubtful till January 31 when we were airlifted from Wuhan by Air India flight.”
She said at Wuhan their company had taken good care of them; they arranged regular medical check-ups, masks and nutritious diet. After landing in Delhi IGI Airport, while the boys were taken to Manesar military hospital, the girls were taken to ITBP Hospital at Chawla Camp in Delhi. She said they were treated very well by the military hospital staff. During the quarantine period, none of them had any cough or fever.
Priya said, “We need not go to China again. We need to work for the company in India. We will take a decision after 14 days of home observation.”Chandra Sekhar, Priya’s father,two more youths, Jyothi and Sai, are still in Wuhan and the Indian Government should evacuate them from China early.
2 under observation in isolation ward
Visakhapatnam: Two persons, who returned to Visakhapatnam from China recently, were admitted to Government Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases in the city on Tuesday with symptoms of coronavirus. They have been put under observation at the hospital’s isolation ward. While one girl is studying first-year MBBS in Kunming, the other, a 22-year-old woman, works as a house surgeon in Nanjing. State nodal officer K Rambabu said the duo was healthy when they arrived in the city and developed cough and fever. “The symptoms subsided, but we didn’t want to take a risk and so kept the duo under observation,” he said.
Kurnool girl likely to be brought back
Annem Naga Jyothi, a trainee engineer Panel Optodisplay Technology Private Limited (POPTL) from Kurnool district, who got left behind in Wuhan, China, is expected to be brought back to India in a couple of days. The Centre is likely to send another C-17 aircraft to evacuate Indian nationals from coronavirus-hit Wuhan. Jyothi got left behind during the evacuation of POPTL employees, as she was running mild temperature. She made a fervent appeal and her family members were also requesting the government to make efforts to bring her home.