All travellers from China to be quarantined, says govt
NEW DELHI: All travellers from China, even asymptomatic ones, will now be quarantined in a hospital on arrival for a minimum of 14 days, according to a revised travel advisory issued by India on Wednesday, even as 5,123 people are under home surveillance across the country.
The advisory also says that existing visas (including e Visa already issued) are no longer valid for any foreign national travelling from China where the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) broke out in December, killing about 490 people and infecting at least 24,000 people in China alone. In its earlier advisory the government had cancelled visas of all Chinese passport holders.
“People travelling to China henceforth will be quarantined on return,” the fresh advisory reads. The advisory was revised after cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba held a high-level meeting to review actions and preparedness on the novel Coronavirus.
“All precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of infection. Airport screening has been strengthened and those under quarantine are being closely followed up. The PMO is personally monitoring the situation,” said a senior health ministry official, requesting anonymity. India has performed a total of 741 tests since January 19, of which 738 have tested negative. “The three people who have tested positive are in hospital and stable,” said the official.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) that is responsible for monitoring sample testing, A total of 901 samples have been tested till Wednesday.
Four hundred and three are from the quarantine centres set up for individuals evacuated from Wuhan, China. All the 403 tested are negative. As many as 498 samples are referred from suspected cases throughout the country. Till date, three out of the 498 tested are confirmed laboratory positive for nCoV. India evacuated 647 Indians from Wuhan on Friday and Saturday; they are housed in two different isolation camps run by the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). So far, out of 406 samples taken, 104 sample results are out, and none have tested positive from the two camps.
“No fresh symptom has been seen among the evacuees,” the statement said. The Delhi government also set up a control room on Wednesday.