All seven Maldivians quarantined in India after being evacuated from China’s Wuhan City, returned home on Tuesday morning.

They were released from the quarantine facility on Monday after testing negative for the deadly Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease that was first reported from Wuhan City in December 2019. They were evacuated with India’s assistance, on 2nd February.

The seven individuals returned to Maldives via Air India flight A-236. The flight landed at Velana International Airport at around 10:20am.

They were received at the airport by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Humaid and other ministry officials, as well as officials from the Indian High Commission in Maldives.

The seven Maldivians were quarantined in India’s ITBP Chhawla Camp for 14 days.

In a tweet posted after their return home, Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar for their “exemplary support” in the evacuation, as well as for the “generous hospitality” granted to them.

Further, the foreign ministry extended appreciation to both the Indian and Chinese governments for the support in evacuating the Maldivians.

While seven Maldivians residing in Wuhan have returned, two chose to stay in the city. The government continues to provide support to the Maldivian citizens in China.