India shifts staff in Herat, Jalalabad to Kabul in view of COVID-19 cases

India has shifted its diplomats and staff from its consulates in Afghan cities of Herat and Jalalabad to Kabul in view of fast-spreading cases of coronavirus in that country which shares a long border with Iran, the worst hit nation by the pandemic in the region.

Government sources said all Indian staff at the two consulates were brought to Kabul as part of precautionary measures, following the swelling number of coronavirus cases in the war-ravaged country.

According to Afghan government, a total of 110 people have been infected by the virus, although health experts believe the actual number could be higher as several provinces in the country do not have facilities to carry out lab test to check the infection.

Two foreign diplomats and four officials of the NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan were among the positive cases in the country, as per Afghan media reports.

The sources said the Indian staff from the two consulates were shifted to Kabul as there are no adequate medical facilities in Herat and Jalalabad.

The Indian diplomats and staff in Kabul have been told to take all required precautions to insulate themselves from the virus while carrying out their normal duties in the embassy.

Herat province shares a long border with Iran which is among the few countries reporting a large number of coronavirus cases and struggling to combat one of the world's worst outbreaks.

Thousands of Afghans are returning from Iran to Herat in the wake of rapid rise in coronavirus cases in Iran.

Over 2,500 people died and more than 35,500 have been infected across Iran since February.

The coronavirus pandemic, which first emerged in Chinese city of Wuhan, has killed nearly 28,000 people and infected close to 600,000 in 183 countries.