New Delhi: The number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 108, Sunday, with Maharashtra reporting the highest followed by Kerala, while over 450 stranded Indians were flown back from Italy and Iran, the two worst affected countries after China, and quarantined.
Extending the border restrictions in view of the coronavirus outbreak, the Centre suspended travel and registration of pilgrims to Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara through the corridor from Sunday midnight, besides movement of all types of passengers to Pakistan through international border points.
According to Union Health Ministry, there are 107 cases in India so far including the two persons who died in Delhi and Karnataka and 17 foreigners.
Twelve more people have tested positive in Maharashtra, taking the number of cases to 31, it said. But Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said there were 32 cases.
Delhi has so far reported seven positive cases, Kerala 22 and Uttar Pradesh 11. Karnataka has six coronavirus patients while Ladakh three and Jammu and Kashmir had two. Telangana reported three cases. Rajasthan has also reported two cases while Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab have reported one case each.
Kerala has launched an intensified medical checkup in inter-state border areas for people entering the state by rail and road. As many as 302 people are in isolation wards of various hospitals across the state.
Maharashtra has already invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 that gives wide-ranging powers to officials to enforce measures, including that of lockdown and quarantine, required to tackle an outbreak. Shopping malls, schools and colleges have been closed in the state till March 31.
The Tamil Nadu government directed closure of all kindergarten and primary schools till March 31. Chief Minister K Palaniswami also issued orders for closure of cinema halls and malls till the month end in 16 districts bordering Kerala and Karnataka, where the number of COVID-19 cases is on the rise, an official release said.
The Assam government too ordered shutting down of educational institutions, gymnasiums, swimming pools and cinema halls with immediate effect till March 29 in the wake of the outbreak.
However, the central government has asked people not to panic. It said that no community transmission of the virus has been observed and there has only been a few cases of local transmission so far and that it is ‘not a health emergency’ in India at present.
Meanwhile, the government continued to evacuate Indians stranded in coronavirus-hit Iran and Italy. Two hundred and eighteen Indians, mostly students, from Milan landed at around 9.45am at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi and were taken to an ITBP quarantine facility in south-west Delhi’s Chhawla area.
More than 230 Indians brought back from Iran reached New Delhi at about 3:15am and were quarantined at the Indian Army Wellness Centre in Jaisalmer, the third batch to be evacuated from that country. They had arrived in Delhi on a Mahan Air flight from Tehran and were ferried by two Air India flights to Jaisalmer, IGI airport officials said.
Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said all paramilitary forces, including the CRPF, the ITBP, and the BSF, have been advised to keep ready quarantine camps for COVID-19 suspects as a preparatory measure.
A Health Ministry official said over 4,000 people who had come in contact with 93 positive cases have been identified through contact tracing and were being tracked while 42,000 people across the country are under community surveillance.
He said all essential facilities like community surveillance, quarantine, isolation wards, adequate personal protective equipment (PPEs), trained manpower, rapid response teams are being strengthened further in all states and Union Territories.
An order has been placed for the procurement of an additional over 80,50,000 N95 masks and personal protective equipment for healthcare workers, the Health Ministry said.
Meanwhile the Jammu and Kashmir administration said Sunday that 2,157 people – travellers and persons in contact with suspected coronavirus cases – have been put under surveillance in the Union Territory.
According to the daily media bulletin on novel coronavirus, 1,829 persons are under home quarantine and 29 persons are in hospital quarantine while 131 persons are under home surveillance.
PTI