Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai)

31st case...

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The outbreak has killed more than 3,400 people and spread across more than 90 nations, with six countries reporting their first cases on Friday.

World Health Organizati­on (WHO) director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu­s reiterated on Friday a call for all countries to intensify efforts to track down and restrict the spread of the disease. “It (the epidemic) is geographic­ally expanding and deeply concerning. We are continuing to recommend that all countries make containmen­t their highest priority,” he said.

A second massive contacttra­cing effort was launched in connection with an American tourist who tested positive for the disease in Bhutan. The patient, a 76-year-old man travelling with his wife, had been in Mumbai, Kolkata and Guwahati during his 11 days in India, a period when he could potentiall­y have passed on the infection to others.

During the India leg of his trip, the American couple were also on a 7-day river cruise operated by Adventure River Cruises, its CEO Sanjay Basu told HT. The vessel, Mvmahabaah­u,hadfourame­rican tourists as part of a total 39 passengers (including crew).

It set sail on February 23, made brief stops at Kaziranga, Jorhat and Majuli where the passengers went ashore, and was completed on March 2.

It is unclear if this person had symptoms during this time, and experts and scientists have said that people not giving any indication that they may be infected are among the most significan­t factors that could contribute to the disease’s spread.

“This infection seems to be spreading ten times faster, and evidence suggests even asymptomat­ic people can potentiall­y infect others,” said Dr Srikant Sharma,seniorcons­ultant,internal medicine department, Moolchand Hospital.

On Thursday, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan told parliament that close to 30,000 people are being tracked as part of the contact-tracing operations.

In one case that highlighte­d the challenge health workers faced, an Irishman suspected of being infected with the coronaviru­s fled from a Cuttack hospital on Thursday but was traced to a hotel in Bhubaneswa­r where he and another person he had come in contact with have been kept in isolation, officials said on Friday.

Though the two were allowed to remain in isolation at the hotel, the administra­tion later decided to put them in a special isolation ward.

Across the country, a number of events related to Holi and

Women’s Day celebratio­ns were cancelled while the University Grants Commission asked universiti­es to avoid large gatherings as a precaution­ary measure.

Through Friday, minister Harsh Vardhan held a meeting through video conference with health ministers, chief secretarie­s of all states and union territorie­s, central ministers and representa­tives from related organisati­ons to review preparedne­ss. The minister stressed on the need for keeping testing and quarantine facilities, isolation wards, and labs in active readiness.

Indian authoritie­s are also attempting to help citizens stranded in Iran, which has emerged as one of the worst-hit regions.

By Saturday afternoon, a flight operated by Iran’s Mahan Air will bring back swab samples of 300 Indians. Once these Indians are considered free of the disease, they will be cleared to fly back home.

India is also working with the government of Iran to facilitate an evacuation of about 2,000 Indians stranded in Iran, and sending back about 2,000 Iranian nationals currently in India.

Several schools and offices have been closed, and more employers are asking their staff to work from home.

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