ZCZC
BSS-50
INDIA-CORONAVIRUS-FEAR-MODI
“No need to panic” Modi tweets, urges people to work to tackle outbreak of COVID-19
By Aminul Islam Mirja
NEW DELHI, March 3, 2020 (BSS) – Against the backdrop of coronavirus fear following two new cases that were confirmed over the last 48 hours in Delhi and Telengana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said there was “no need to panic” and urged people to work together to tackle the deadly virus.
“There is no need to panic. We need to work together, take small yet important measures to ensure self-protection,” he tweeted saying that he had an “extensive review” with several ministries and state governments about the level of preparedness.
Prime Minister Modi’s tweet came a day after three people, including an Italian national, tested positive for the deadly and spreading coronavirus in India.
India has stepped up preparedness in anticipation of cluster cases after the two fresh cases of the coronavirus, which has been named SARS-Cov-2, with the disease it causes being called Covid-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Besides, India has also intensified medical screening a day after two more positive cases of coronavirus were reported in the country.
As part of the pre-cautionary measurers, Indian government had earlier suspended all regular and e-visa issued to nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan on or before Tuesday.
However, the visa suspension for Chinese nationals on or before February 5 will remain in force.
The visas of all the other foreign nationals issued on or after February 1, and who are in countries affected by coronavirus, have been suspended, according to official sources.
Indian health ministry on Monday said that a case of coronavirus was detected in Delhi even as another case in Hyderabad took the number of reported infections in the country to five.
The coronavirus outbreak has killed over 3,000 people and infected nearly 90,000 others worldwide since it began in China’s Wuhan district in December last year.
In India, three people were previously diagnosed in Kerala with the disease, but they have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the infection.
Meanwhile, a private school in Noida declared a three-day closure after it emerged that the children of the Delhi man, who tested positive for coronavirus, study in the school. Another school in the area also said that it will remain shut till March 9.
The person from Delhi recently travelled to Italy, while the patient from Hyderabad has travel history from Dubai, the ministry said. “They are stable and being closely monitored,” Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said yesterday.
According to media reports quoting Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma that an Italian tourist was found positive for the virus in Jaipur, the central government did not confirm the development.
The Union health ministry said on Tuesday that six cases with “high-viral load” were detected during sample testing in Agra and these people have been kept in isolation.
The six people had come in contact with the 45-year-old patient from Delhi, whose case came to light on Monday, and they include his family members. The man had visited them in Agra.
The six have been kept in isolation at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi and their samples are being sent to NIV, Pune for confirmation, media reports said.
Following the Union health ministry’s announcement on Monday, the Air India crew that flew the Vienna-Delhi flight on February 25 on which the 45-year-old infected man was a passenger have been asked to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days.
Besides, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Monday issued an order that said passengers coming from Italy and Iran will also undergo thermal screening at airports.
Other than Italy and Iran, India is screening passengers at airports coming from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.
BSS/AIM/MRU/2009hrs