A total of sixteen out of 78 evacuees who landed at theIndira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport from Kabul on Tuesday has testedpositive for Covid-19. The infected evacuees also include the three Sikhs whobrought back with them Guru Granth Sahib from Afghanistan Gurdwaras.
Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and V. Muraleedharanreceived the Guru Granth sahib brought from Afghanistan at the Delhi airportfrom the Sikhs and came in contact of the infected people.
However, Union Ministers coming into contact withinfected people have not been officially confirmed yet.
All the positive people have been admitted to LNJPHospital and the rest are quarantined at an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)camp in south-west Delhi's Chhawla.
All the evacuees coming from Afghanistan will have toundergo quarantine for 14 days at the ITBP quarantine centre at Chhawla insouthwest Delhi, according to the guidelines of the Health Ministry.
"As the COVID-19 immunization status of theseindividuals is unknown, and the exact extent of COVID-19 transmission(including circulation of variants) in Afghanistan is unclear at present, so asa matter of abundant precaution, it has been decided that the arriving personsshall undergo a mandatory minimum 14 days' institutional quarantine at SectorHeadquarters Logistic and Communications, Indo Tibetan Border Police, ChhawlaCamp," the Union Health Ministry's office memorandum said.
Earlier on Tuesday, 78 people, including 46 Afghan Sikhsand Hindus, flew into Delhi from Kabul via Dushanbe on an Air India flightalong with three copies of Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib.