THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With several Indians stranded in China, where the novel coronavirus outbreak was first reported, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday requested the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in evacuating them to safety.
In a letter addressed to the PM, the CM said that going by the accounts of the relatives of students from Kerala studying at various universities in Wuhan, the ground situation has further worsened and hence a special flight will have to be operated to Wuhan to airlift the Indian nationals stranded there.
The CM also added that necessary directions will also have to be provided to the Indian Embassy in China to reach out to the Indians including Keralites stranded in Wuhan and Yichang provinces. In the letter, the CM also extended the assistance of medical professionals from the state for the evacuation process.
Kerala is on high alert as the novel coronavirus (nCoV) is spreading to various parts of the world.
As per the data released by the state health department, 288 people have reached the state from places where the nCoV outbreak has been notified.
Of this, 281 have been put under house surveillance and seven are admitted to isolation wards of hospitals.