Number of coronavirus positive cases rise to 84, says Health ministry

Sanjeeva Kumar, Special Secretary, Ministry of Health. Picture/Twitter ANI

The number of coronavirus positive cases in the country has risen to 84 which includes the two deaths in Delhi and Karnataka, the Union Health Ministry said. Seven persons who tested positive including five from Uttar Pradesh and one each from Rajasthan and Delhi have been discharged after treatment, a senior health ministry official said.

Delhi has reported six positive cases and Uttar Pradesh 11 so far. Karnataka has six coronavirus patients, Maharashtra 14 and Ladakh three while Jammu and Kashmir reported two cases. Besides, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab have reported one case each.

Kerala has recorded 19 cases, including three patients who were discharged last month after they recovered from the contagious infection. The total number of 84 confirmed cases includes 17 foreigners -- 16 Italian tourists and a Canadian, the ministry said.

"The number of coronavirus positive cases in India has risen to 84," Special Secretary in the health ministry, Sanjeeva Kumar, said, adding that more than 4,000 people who had come in contact with those testing positive have been identified through contact tracing and are under surveillance.

He further said that there have been cases of people not willing to be quarantined despite coming in contact with people testing positive. He informed that a Mahan Air flight bringing back Indian passengers from Iran will land in Mumbai on Saturday midnight. A special Air India flight is also being sent to Milan in Italy on Saturday to bring back Indian students, he added.

Kumar said all essential facilities like community surveillance, quarantine, isolation wards, adequate PPEs, trained manpower, rapid response teams are being strengthened further in all states and UTs. The government on Friday declared masks, including N95, and hand sanitisers as 'essential commodities' under Essential Commodities Act in the wake of the coronavirus scare leading to shortages and black marketing of these items.

These items will remain under essential commodities segment till June-end, a move aimed at ensuring availability at reasonable prices and cracking down on hoarders and black marketeers. Even as the World Health Organisation declared novel coronavirus a pandemic, the health ministry officials on Friday asked people not to panic, saying no community transmission of the virus has been observed and there has only been a few cases of local transmission so far.

The Centre as part of its measures to contain the spread of the disease on Friday announced that people will be allowed to travel through 19 of 37 land border checkposts from Saturday midnight and services of Indo Bangladesh cross border passenger trains and buses will continue to remain suspended till April 15.

Only four Indo-Nepal border checkposts will remain operational, and for citizens of Bhutan and Nepal visa-free entry to the country will continue, Home Ministry Additional Secretary Anil Malik had said. He said the decision on closing the Kartarpur corridor is under consideration The government on Wednesday suspended all visas, barring a few categories like diplomatic and employment. It also asked Indian nationals to avoid all non-essential travel abroad.

All incoming international passengers returning to India should self-monitor their health and follow the required do's and dont's as detailed by the government.

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