New Delhi: India reported 10 new cases of the coronavirus, taking the number to 60 on Wednesday, the Union health ministry said, even as India prohibited till March 31 entry of international cruise ships, crew or passenger with a travel history to coronavirus-hit nations.
However, as per state health officials, the number of confirmed cases maybe up to 65.
As the infection continued to spread its tentacles in the country, state governments and UTs' took number of initiatives to check and prevent the spread of the infection.
While Jammu and Kashmir administration ordered closure of primary schools and aganwadi centres in five districts of Jammu and shutting down of cinema halls across the region till 31 March as a precautionary measure, Karnataka government issued temporary regulation which asked all government and private hospitals to have flu corners for screening of suspected cases of COVID-19.
According to the regulation, no person/institution shall use print or electronic media to spread mis-information on COVID-19 without prior permission of the Department of Health & Family Welfare. If a person is found indulging in any such activity, they will be punished, it said.
The Karnataka government also started a campaign called 'Namaste over Handshake' that encourages people to greet in the traditional Indian style, to tackle the spread of the virus.
As the cases of the infection continued to swell with over 119,400 confirmed cases reported globally so far out of which over 4,300 people have succumbed to the virus, India prohibited entry of any international cruise ship, crew or passenger with a travel history to coronavirus-hit countries post February 1, 2020 to its major ports till March 31.
To prevent the spread of the deadly virus, the Ministry of Shipping said it will allow only such international cruise ships which had intimated their call to ports by January 1, 2020.
The government said international cruise ships will be allowed only at ports having thermal screening facilities for passengers and crew members.
Among the fresh cases, eight were from Kerala and one each from Delhi and Rajasthan since Tuesday, the Union health ministry said and gave state-wise breakup which included five (Delhi), nine (Uttar Pradesh), four (Karnataka) and two in Ladakh.
While the Union ministry maintained that there are two confirmed cases of the infection in Maharashtra, the state health officials put the number to seven.
Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab have reported one case each, the ministry said, adding Kerala has till now reported 17 cases, including the three patients who were discharged last month following recovery.
The total number of 60 confirmed cases includes 16 Italians tourists, the ministry said.
Two employees working with IT companies Dell and Mindtree have been tested positive for coronavirus, according to company statements. However, their locations were not disclosed.
The Dell employee had returned from the US, including a visit to Texas while the Mindtree employee also had a travel history abroad, the two companies said in separate statements.
Making a statement in Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the situation in Italy and Iran is "a cause of great concern" and the government is making all efforts to bring back Indians after appropriate testing and screening.
He said a medical team will leave for Italy tomorrow for screening Indians.
Noting that the disease has spread to about 90 countries, Jaishankar said if the government starts the process of bringing back Indians worldwide, then it will be only add to the panic. An Air Indian flight carrying 83 people, including nine foreigners of India origin, arrived here on Wednesday from Italy and have been quarantined at the Army facility in Manesar near Delhi, officials said. The evacuees will be monitored for two weeks by a qualified team of doctors and staff members, to watch for any signs of infection."If any individual is suspected to be infected, he/she will be shifted to an isolation facility," an official added.
Daily medical examination of all 83 people will be done at the facility, they said.
The first batch of 58 evacuees from Iran had arrived on Tuesday with 25 men, 31 women and 2 children on board and all evacuees are asymptomatic at present, the ministry said.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who spoke to a few COVID-19 patients admitted at Medanta and Safdarjung hospitals through video calls on Tuesday, said all those infected by the disease were stable and showing signs of recovery.
So far, India has evacuated 948 passengers from COVID-19 affected countries. Out of these, 900 are Indian citizens and 48 belonging to different nationalities including Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, USA, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa and Peru, it said.
The ministry further said that a total number of 10,57,506 passengers have been screened so far at the airport.
Railway hospitals have been provided with over 1,000 isolation beds for treating suspected coronavirus cases and more than 12,000 beds for quarantining them at different locations, an official statement said.
Control rooms and telephone helplines have been set up at all railway hospitals, it said.
According to the statement, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has directed the Railway Board to ensure that adequate preventive measures are put in place across the Indian Railway system.
Earlier on Tuesday, India barred entry of the nationals of three more countries — France, Germany and Spain — suspending the regular as well as e-visas granted to them till date.
"All regular (sticker) Visas/e-Visas granted to nationals of France, Germany and Spain and issued on or before March 11 and who have not yet entered India stand suspended with immediate effect," said a Bureau of Immigration notification issued late Tuesday night.
Regular visas, including e-visas, granted to all foreign nationals who have travel history to these countries on or after February 1 and who have not yet entered India also stand suspended, it said.
Issuing a travel advisory, the health ministry also called for passengers with travel history to China, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Japan, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, Iran, Malaysia, France, Spain and Germany to undergo self-imposed quarantine for a period of 14 days from the date of their arrival, and their employers to facilitate work-from-home for such employees during this period.
India had already suspended visas granted to the nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea, Japan and China.
The Union Health Ministry has strongly urged people to refrain from travelling to China, Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, Japan, France, Spain and Germany and advised them to avoid non-essential travel abroad in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
Moreover, the Road Transport and Highways Ministry said on Wednesday that all states and union territories have been asked to step up sanitation and hygiene in all public transport vehicles to contain the spread of coronavirus. The states and union territories have also been advised to step up sanitation at bus terminals and stops, the ministry said.
"A public health situation of this scale requires a concerted and whole of government approach in order to prevent further importation of cases and to build up a comprehensive and robust response system.
"It is required to step up efforts and fully mobilise all resources to support the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in preparedness, control and containment measures," the ministry said in an advisory to all states and UTs.
Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has said sharing data of infected people on a daily basis with the public has created panic across the country.
It also appealed to the government to "classify the data" of the pandemic and take appropriate action with "clinical precision".
"Doctors and hospitals remain a silver lining in otherwise clueless situation for the common man," the doctors' body said while appealing to every doctor to function as a source of credible information in their locality and instil confidence and trust in the public.
"It cannot be denied that the high handed top down response in China is part of the reason for this global panic. The nuanced and balanced approach of the Indian government is certainly better suited to handle the crisis in a country of 1.3 billion people," the IMA said.
The association said public health systems in various states have withstood the pressure caused by the spread of the contagious viral disease and have to remain alert, and that contact tracing is the key public health function that will make a difference in controlling the situation.
Listing out some measures like washing hands with soap and water as often as deemed necessary, not posting online unconfirmed negative messages and pseudoscientific dogmas, and self isolation if having symptoms such as fever and cough, the IMA said it works in consonance with the health authorities in all states.
The IMA has updated the doctors in all its branches across the country and is in advanced state of preparations for a 24X7 helpline for the public in Hindi and English. The details will be in public domain shortly, it said.
The IMA also urged the government to utilise the COVID-19 outbreak to track cases of tuberculosis and also to include hand hygiene in the Swachh Bharat programme.
Meanwhile, An Air India pilots' grouping has urged civil aviation regulator DGCA to exempt pilots from the mandatory pre and post-flight alcohol tests. In a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation chief Arun Kumar, the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) said the virus is "highly dangerous" for the airline's crew involved in international flight operations as it poses an "elevated risk" of exposure to the cockpit crew. IPG, which has around 600 members, represents pilots of Air India's wide-body planes.
The Mizoram government on Wednesday said it has enough stock of essential commodities for at least three months, as residents of the state capital made a beeline in markets following rumours that the inter-state borders may be shut amid the coronavirus
scare.