275 Iran-returned Indians reach Jodhpur for quarantine

A batch of 275 Indians, who were recently evacuated from coronavirus-hit Iran, arrived in Rajasthan's Jodhpur from Delhi for quarantine on Sunday morning, an official said.

He said a preliminary screening of the passengers was conducted at the airport and thereafter, they were shifted to the Army Wellness Facility set up at the Jodhpur Military Station.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health) of Rajasthan Rohit Kumar Singh said of the 275 passengers, 133 were female and 142 male, including two infants and four children.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted, saying the Iran-returned Indians were taken from Delhi to Jodhpur on SpiceJet and IndiGo aircraft.

"Operation Namaste! Efforts to safeguard Indian citizens against Covid19 continue," he wrote on Twitter.

"The 275 Indians who were evacuated from Iran have been screened & shifted by IndiGo and SpiceJet aircraft to Army Wellness Centre at Jodhpur for quarantine," the minister added.

India is currently under a 21-day lockdown till April 14 to curb the spread of the coronavirus and consequently, all international and domestic commercial passenger flights have been suspended for this period.

According to the Union Health Ministry, 979 people have tested positive for the virus in India so far and 25 deaths due to COVID-19 have been reported.