Kerala CM appeals Modi to consider operating special flight to bring back stranded Indian nationals in Wuhan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan city and said that it may be appropriate "consider operating a special flight to Wuhan/a nearby functional airport and airlift the Indian nationals stranded there and bring them back to India."

Stressing that the ground situation in Wuhan has further worsened, the Kerala Chief Minister in the letter, dated January 27, said, "And we have information from the relatives of students from Kerala studying at various Universities in Wuhan, that the situation there is grave. It is also reported that the Yichang area has also been affected."

"It may be appropriate to consider operating a special flight to Wuhan/ a nearby functional airport and airlift the Indian nationals stranded there and bring them back to India," the Chief Minister said.

Vijayan requested the Prime Minister to give necessary instruction, direct the Indian Embassy in China to act proactively and provide necessary assistance and reassurance to Indians stranded in the affected Chinese cities.

"On behalf of the State of Kerala, I would like to offer assistance of medical professionals from our side in case the Indians being evacuated from Wuhan are to be medically attended to. I request you to give necessary instruction direct the Indian Embassy in the People's Republic of China to act proactively and provide necessary assistance and reassurance to Indians including Keralites stranded in Wuhan and Yichang," he said.

Sharing the concern of the state on the situation which has arisen in Wuhan following the outbreak of the deadly virus, the Chief Minister said he has already written to External Affairs Minister on January 24 "requesting steps to have a comprehensive assessment of the emerging situation and to provide necessary assistance to the people of Indian origin most of whom are students of Wuhan University."

The virus, which has no effective vaccine, was reported on January 16 in Japan, the first case outside China and its territories.

Coronaviruses (nCoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death.