2 more tets potoive in U’khand Indians abroad told to ‘stay put’

Dehradun, March 19: Two more Indian Forest Service probationers who had recently returned from a study tour in Spain have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the state to three, an official said on Thursday.

All three patients were part of a 28-member group which had returned from the study tour in Spain recently.

Director in-charge (health) S.K. Gupta said that the two probationers who tested positive have been quarantined.

New Delhi, March 19: Amid restrictions on the entry of passengers from various countries, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday urged Indians stranded in various parts of the world to “stay put”.

Dammu Ravi, additional secretary MEA in charge of coordinating the efforts to counter COVID19, said it is not advisable for people to move from one region to another region in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

“This must be understood in the context of the gravity of the crisis.

These restrictions are temporary, so one should not panic. If Indians are held up in some places, our advice would be to stay put,” he said.

Sources said the government is requesting other countries to extend the visas for Indians who are stranded in those nations, in the same manner India has facilitated visa-extensions for foreign nationals. The MEA advice to stay put came just before the Centre issued a statement that no international flight will be allowed to land in India from March 22 for a week.