16 Of 78 Afghan Evacuees Are Covid Positive

Yesterday, 78 Afghanistan evacuees landed in India and among them, 16 are coronavirus positive. Ergo, all 78 have been quarantined immediately as a precautionary measure. And those 16 returnees are said to be asymptomatic, showing no symptoms of the virus.

The infected evacuees also include the three Sikhs who brought back with them Guru Granth Sahib from various Afghanistan Gurudwaras. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri who was at the Delhi airport to receive Sikhs also came in contact with the infected people.

India is making efforts to evacuate Afghan citizens along with Indian citizens by arranging special flights to those who are fleeing the country because of the worsening security situation after the Taliban seized power last week.

A total of 626 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan till now and among them, we have 228 Indians as well. And 77 among them were Afghan Sikhs. However, the number of Indian citizens evacuated does not include those working in the Indian Embassy.

India had earlier announced that it would “facilitate repatriation to India of those who wishes to leave Afghanistan” and said Hindus and Sikhs from the country will be given priority.

As thousands of Afghans gathered around the Kabu airport in a desperate attempt to flee the country, Delhi began the evacuation mission, “Operation Devi Shakti”, and airlifted 40 Indians from Kabul to Delhi on August 16, a day after the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital city.