Marketing executive Vedant Kadam was already in Tehran when the Indian government issued an advisory asking its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Iran.
He is now grounded in a hotel near Ferdowsi Square in the heart of the populous Iranian capital.
Speaking to SBS Punjabi from his hotel room, the 24-year-old Mumbai resident said he was scheduled to fly out on February 28, but all flights to India were cancelled last minute.
“We got to know hours before flying out that our flight to India had been cancelled. We have since been in constant touch with the Indian authorities who told us they are working on an evacuation plan.”
Sharing a picture of the instructions put up by the management in the hotel’s lift, Mr Kadam added: “This picture is evidence of the situation on the ground.”
“Please use the toothpick for the lift button,” read the instructions posted on the lift panel.
Management at a hotel in Tehran instructs guests to use tooth pick to press the lift button as a preventive measure. Source: Supplied
“They told us discussions are underway but did not specify when and how they would evacuate us.
“We are scared as the infection is spreading fast. We’d like to urge the Indian authorities to rescue us at the earliest,” said Mr Kadam.
Indian national, Arvind Jadhav stranded in Tehran. Source: Supplied
Responding to the anxious families of those waiting to be airlifted from Iran, India’s Minister for External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar tweeted his assurance on Sunday.
He wrote that the government is collaborating with the Iranian authorities to ensure the safe return of all Indian nationals.
The Western Asian country so far has reported over 2,000 confirmed cases of infection and at least 77 casualties, making it the fourth-worst affected country in the world, outside China.
The Iranian health ministry on Tuesday said the number of confirmed cases had risen to 2,336, although the real figure is believed to be much higher.
But the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the government has been “transparent” to the public since day one, and insisted that "It should not be exaggerated."
Delhi-based surgeon Kiran* whose elderly parents are stranded in Isfahan, the third-largest city in Iran said she has attempted to book them on three different flights in the last few days, but none took off.
“My dad works as a technical consultant for a company near Isfahan and often goes to Iran on a business trip. My mother accompanies him on most trips.
“They are trying very hard to fly out, but all flights were cancelled. They are now living out of a hotel and are taking all sorts of precautionary measures,” said Ms Kiran.
She added that when she approached the Indian Embassy in Iran, she was asked to fill out an ‘excel sheet’ with the particulars of her parents.
“So once I mailed their passport copies and visa details over to the embassy, they, in turn, sent an excel list asking me to fill in their details.
“I am assuming they are working on a list as to how many Indians are stranded in Iran and will need to be flown out,” said Ms Kiran.
As cases continued to mount, a team of experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has reached Iran with protective equipment and medicals supplies, to support the local health authorities with containing the virus.
