New Delhi, May 7: The stranded Indian nationals, who are to be evacuated from Gulf countries and Malaysia, will be quarantined at facilities maintained by the armed forces, said a statement released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday. Naval ships, earlier in the day, left for Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and  Bahrain in the Middle East to bring back the stranded Indians. Air India Opens Bookings to Bring Stranded Indians Back From US, London, Singapore Between May 8 and 14.

The Indian Army, Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy maintain a total six quarantine centres which can accommodate over 2,000 persons. The decision to house the evacuees from Gulf at these facilities comes in the backdrop of concerns raised by the states to which the returnees belong.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, stating that it would be "dangerous" to bring back the stranded nationals without testing them for COVID-19. His letter was in response to the Centre's earlier statement which stated that the respective states - to which the evacuees belong - will have to arrange for their quarantine.

Naval Ships Leave For Gulf, Malaysia

See List of Locations Where The Evacuees Will be Quarantined

"Armed Forces have kept in readiness 6 quarantine facilities that can accommodate up to 2,100 Indians being evacuated from several countries in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Civil Aviation," the MoD statement said.

"Indian National evacuees stranded in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain & Malaysia will be housed in the quarantine facilities maintained by three Services- Army, Navy and Air Force- in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bhopal, Kochi, Visakhapatnam and Chennai," it further added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 07, 2020 03:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).