Relief and elation at ITBP camp as 70 Wuhan evacuees walk out

NEW DELHI: Muskan Kapdi, 19, a first-year MBBS student at a medical college about two hours away from Wuhan, the central Chinese city at the epicentre of the ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, was visibly elated on Monday afternoon as she was handed over the document that certified her free of the virus and allowed her to go home after the mandatory 14-day quarantine period since her return from China.

Kapdi was among the first batch of about 70 Wuhan evacuees at the Indo-tibetan Border Police’s (ITBP) Chhawla camp in the national capital to receive the government document certifying them to be Covid-19 free.

All 406 evacuees are likely to be discharged by Tuesday evening, said an official spokesperson for the ITBP.

“It’s such a relief to get this certificate as it will allow me to travel across the country,” said Kapdi.

Kapdi’s medical college, China Three Gorges University, is located in Yichang City, Hubei province, and from there she drove for about two hours to reach Wuhan , where the evacuation was planned on February 1 and 2.

“I was nervous about travelling to Wuhan. In fact, about 10-12 of my college mates decided to stay back because they thought it wasn’t safe to travel to Wuhan. I am glad I took the risk,” she said.

Almost all the evacuees shudder reminiscing the lockdown in China.

Rajeswari Thakur, 20, a second-year MBBS student at Hubei Polytechnic University and a resident of Jalgaon, Maharashtra, has been in the quarantine facility with her friend Aditi Patel.