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Indians evacuated from Wuhan test negative for ncov

- AGENCIES

All 645 people evacuated from China’s Wuhan city, who were lodged at the quarantine facilities set up by the Army and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in and around Delhi, have tested negative for coronaviru­s, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.

It said as of February 6, 138,750 from 1,265 flights had been screened for the ncov illness but no new case has been detected. India has reported three confirmed cases from Kerala. Ten other Indians who wanted to return were unable to do so as they could not clear the health screening, the external affairs ministry said.

India ‘can look into’ evacuating Pakistanis

The ministry also said India can consider evacuating Pakistani students from the coronaviru­s-hit Hubei province “if such a situation arises” and resources are available.

Death toll climbs to 564

The Chinese mainland, so far, has seen 563 deaths because of coronaviru­s infection, and 28,018 confirmed cases. In addition, Hong Kong has had 22 cases, including one death.

In Japan, 10 more people on a cruise ship off its coast have tested positive for the new coronaviru­s, local media said, raising the number of infections detected on the boat to 20. Japanese authoritie­s have tested 273 people among the approximat­ely 3,700 passengers and crew on the ship after a man who got off the boat last month in Hong Kong tested positive for the new strain.

Whistle-blower doctor dead Also, the Chinese doctor, reprimande­d by police after warning colleagues about the disease emerging in Wuhan, has died after falling ill, said a person familiar with the matter.

China’s diplomatic protests Meanwhile, China has lodged diplomatic protests with countries whose airlines have cancelled flights to its cities alleging that they are spreading panic in the wake of deadly coronaviru­s. Several internatio­nal airlines, including Air India and Indigo, have cancelled flights to China over fears of the virus spreading across the world, a move which Beijing described against the WHO guidelines.

 ?? PHOTO: AP/PTI ?? Patients at a temporary hospital in Wuhan. China on Thursday finished building a second hospital to isolate and treat patients of coronaviru­s in the city
PHOTO: AP/PTI Patients at a temporary hospital in Wuhan. China on Thursday finished building a second hospital to isolate and treat patients of coronaviru­s in the city

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