New Delhi, Feb 14 (IANS): With a positive sign of no fresh symptoms related to deadly novel coronavirus infection seen so far among the 406 people housed at quarantine facility at an ITBP camp, the process to send them to their homes has begun as the final sample collection of all of them was completed on Friday.

As the doctors completed the process of collecting the final samples of all 406 people at west Delhi's Chhawla camp of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), officials in the paramilitary force said a decision can be taken to discharge the travellers after receiving the samples.

The samples are expected to be received on February 16 and 17. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-- the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research -- will submit the report of the samples collected from the ITBP centre.

"If the reports are positive and concerned authorities agree, the inmates can be discharged on February 18 (Tuesday) from the camp. It is expected that all inmates will be departing for their homes observing laid down protocols with due medical procedures as per the directives of Health Ministry," ITBP spokesperson Vivek Pandey told IANS.

Samples of all 406 people were found negative earlier, he said. A total of 406 people, including seven persons from Maldives, were brought back from Wuhan in China -- the epicentre of the deadly infection -- on February 1 and 2 and were shifted at Chhawla quarantine facility of ITBP. Since then they have been kept under observation of an expert team of doctors and medical professionals. There are seven children, including an infant in the group. Periodical checkups being done as per medical protocol.

Mentioning that "no fresh symptoms were seen today", the ITBP spokesperson said two persons were earlier shifted to Safdarjung Hospital due to cough and fever but their reports were found negative for any coronavirus symptoms. The government had created two large quarantine centres housing 645 persons evacuated from Wuhan, one run by the border guarding force ITBP at Chhawla, and the other is managed by the Indian Army in Manesar in Haryana's Gurugram.