Score of parents here Wednesday held a protest demonstration urging the union government to bring back their children studying in Iran in view of Coronavirus outbreak in that country. The protesting parents said due to curbs on internet they are not able to contact their children.
Most of the students stranded in Iran are making franticcalls to their parents imploring that they be evacuated from that country,which has recorded the highest number of deaths after China.
The protesting parents said their wards desperately want toreturn but they are helpless as the airlines have cancelled flights to Tehran.”We feel helpless as no one from the government is coming to the rescue of theour children,” they said.
Official sources claimed that over 150 persons mostlystudents arrived in Kashmir from China with 34 evacuated from the epicenter ofCOVID-19 -Wuhan. They were quarantined and samples of some of them complainingfever and respiratory ailments were taken. “However, so far no one was testedpositive,” sources said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, ShahidChoudhary ina latest tweet said MEA is facilitating the return of students. “Srinagarstudents in Tehran pl send details on the following format, if not donealready. J&K Resident Commission in coordination with MEA to facilitatereturn travel. Email – dcsgr-jk@nic.in,” he said in a tweet.
Pertinently, on February 26, government of India issued atravel advisory asking people to avoid “non-essential” travel to Iran, NorthKorea and Italy where coronavirus deaths were reported recently.
Globally, at least 80,000 people have been diagnosed withthe novel coronavirus with over 2,800 deaths reported, so far, mostly in China.
In an unprecedented move Saudi Arabia has imposed atemporary ban on Umrah pilgrimage to keep the county safe from coronavirus.