7 Maldivians return home following quarantine in India

The seven Maldivian citizens who were evacuated out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, have returned home following quarantine in India.

The seven Maldivian citizens; five women, one man and one child returned to Maldives on Tuesday morning, and were welcomed upon arrival at the Velana International Airport by Deputy Foreign Minister Abdulla Humaid and senior officials from Foreign Ministry and the Indian High Commission.

They had been evacuated from Wuhan on a special Air Indian flight, along with 323 Indian citizens, on February 2.

All seven had tested negative for the virus, but had remained under observation for a mandatory 14-day period at a quarantine facility built by the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), a paramilitary force, in its Chhawla camp.