119 Indians, 5 Foreigners From Coronavirus-Hit Cruise Ship Land In Delhi On Air India Flight; 10 Points

India thanked Japanese authorities for facilitating the evacuation of people.

Indian nationals onboard Diamond Princess cruise ship, who were docked off at Yokohama in Japan, were brought back in a special flight on Thursday morning. (ANI)

New Delhi: Indian nationals onboard Diamond Princess cruise ship, who were docked off at Yokohama in Japan, were brought back in a special flight on Thursday morning. A special Air India flight carrying 119 Indians and five nationals from Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa, and Peru, landed in New Delhi today. India thanked Japanese authorities for facilitating the evacuation of people. "Air India flight has just landed in Delhi from Tokyo, carrying 119 Indians & 5 nationals from Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa and Peru who were quarantined onboard the #DiamondPrincess due to #COVID19. Appreciate the facilitation of Japanese authorities. Thank you @airindiain once again," tweeted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

A special word of appreciation for our team @IndianEmbTokyo for their sustained efforts which made this happen.

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 27, 2020

Here's all you need to know- 1) As many as 138 Indians including 132 crew and six passengers were among the 3,711 people on board the luxury cruise ship, which was quarantined off Japan on February 5 after it emerged that a former passenger had tested positive for the virus. 2) Of these, 16 were tested positive for coronavirus and will stay in Japan for treatment, while the remaining will be repatriated to India. The repatriation is being facilitated by the Indian government. 3) In line with India’s neighbourhood first policy and Indo-Pacific vision, the special flight also evacuated 5 foreign nationals—2 Sri Lankans, 1 Nepalese, 1 South African and 1 Peruvian.

On its return from Wuhan, the IAF flight has brought back 76 Indians & 36 nationals from 7 countries - Bangladesh, Myanmar, Maldives, China, South Africa, USA and Madagascar. Appreciate facilitation by Chinese government.

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 27, 2020

4) All the evacuees will undergo a 14-day quarantine at the quarantine facility set up by the Indian Army in Manesar, Haryana. 5) 3 Indian crew members didn't board the special flight and conveyed their wish to continue their stay on-board the Cruise ship to complete the period of extended quarantine put in place by the Government of Japan. 6) Out of the total 138 Indian nationals originally on-board the Diamond Princess, 16 Indian crew members have tested positive for Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) and are receiving necessary medical care and treatment at onshore medical facilities in Japan. 7) Embassy of India in Tokyo has established contact with these individuals and is continuously following-up on their recovery. 8) The ship was put under quarantine by the Government of Japan on 5th February 2020 for 14 days until 19th February 2020, as one of the passengers who had disembarked from the ship had tested positive for COVID-19. 9) The quarantine period was extended by the Government of Japan as the crew members were performing their regular duties during the initial quarantine period of 14 days. 10) Coronavirus has infected more than 80,000 people in 37 countries, causing more than 2,600 deaths in the past few months. Earlier this month, India had evacuated as many as 640 of its nationals from Wuhan -- the capital of the Chinese province of Hubei which has been the epicenter of the novel coronavirus. Watch | Coronavirus: 19 Indians, 5 foreigners from Japan evacuated (with inputs from agencies)