78 evacuees from Afghanistan at ITBP's Delhi camp test negative for COVID-19

As many as 78 people, including children, who arrived from Afghanistan on Tuesday late night were taken from Delhi airport to ITBP's Chhawla Camp. In a new development, all these evacuees have tested negative for COVID-19, informed Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

An official statement by the ITBP said, "78 evacuees were shifted to ITBP's Chhawla based camp till Tuesday late night. Of total evacuees, 24 are Indians and 54 Afghan nationals that include 53 males, 14 females and 11 children. All had gone through COVID-19 test at Indira Gandhi International Airport and are reported negative."

The evacuees reached Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport on Monday night in an Indian Air Force flight. As per the government guidelines, however, all are expected to undergo 14-days mandatory institutional quarantine.

On Monday, two persons out of the 146 passengers who landed in Delhi from Afghanistan were found positive for COVID-19.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that the Indian government is committed to the safe return of all Indian nationals from Afghanistan.

The MEA said the main challenge for travel to and from Afghanistan is the operational status of the Kabul airport.

India has been allowed to operate two flights per day from Kabul to evacuate its nationals stranded in Afghanistan.

The permission was granted by American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces, which have been controlling operations of the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban on August 15.

( With inputs from ANI )

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