The coronavirus has infected thousands of people around the world
One more person has been found infected by the contagious Novel Coronavirus in Delhi, taking the total positive cases in India to 31. The patient had gone to Thailand and Malaysia, where the cases of coronavirus has been rising. The patient is stable and being monitored, sources said.
"One more suspect has tested positive for COVID-19. The COVID-19 confirmed case has a travel history of Thailand and Malaysia. The patient is in hospital quarantine and stable. There are now 31 confirmed cases in the country. This includes 16 Italian nationals," the Health Ministry said in a statement.
"All international passengers irrespective of nationality are mandated to undergo universal medical screening. Adequate screening measures have been setup and nine more airports have been added to the existing 21, bringing the total to 30 airports, as of today," it said.
"In addition, a day-long national level training on COVID-19 has been organized by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and WHO. This was inaugurated by Health Secretary Preeti Sudan… It is being attended by 280 health officials from all states, and hospitals of railways, defence, and paramilitary forces. It was also attended by 1,000 nodes across the country," the statement said.
Amid rising cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cancelled his visit to Brussels for an India-European Union (EU) summit, which will be rescheduled.
Fourteen of the 16 infected Italian tourists are quarantined in Delhi. They were a part of a group of 23 Italians that travelled to Rajasthan last month. One of them – currently in Jaipur – tested positive on Tuesday; his wife also tested positive. This is the biggest group in the country to be infected with the coronavirus.
All primary schools in Delhi will be closed till March 31 as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus, the government said on Thursday. All Delhi government, aided and private schools will be shut immediately, Education Minister Manish Sisodia.
The Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 was first detected at a seafood market in China's Wuhan. It quickly spread from there.
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