Coronavirus: China okays India request to airlift 250 nationals from Wuhan

Will have to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival

After 24 hours of hectic parleys, India gained Beijing’s permission to airlift Indians from Wuhan. A Boeing 747 VT-ESO will leave Mumbai at midnight to airlift 250 Indians.

“Once they are brought back, they will be kept in quarantine for two weeks,” said Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday.

Sources said Beijing buckled under pressure from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). “Our crew was ready to go. The permission took time,” said an Air India executive. Meanwhile, IndiGo, too, has advised its pilots and cabin crew to wear masks and avoid public places during layovers