Passengers arriving from China at seven Indian airports are being screened in the wake of the outbreak of an infection caused by a new strain of virus there. The coronavirus (CoV) has claimed at least six lives in China so far. The number of infected people has increased sharply to about 300 as the government scampered to contain its spread by increasing monitoring on the movement of public from the 12 million people strong Wuhan city from where the SARS-like virus was first reported in December. The World Health Organization (WHO), which is holding an emergency meeting on Wednesday, will consider declaring an international public health emergency over the virus - as it did with swine flu and Ebola.
Coronavirus outbreak: How is India taking precautions against China's deadly virus
Thermal screening of China passengers at 7 airports
The Civil Aviation Ministry has directed seven airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata to make arrangements for screening of passengers arriving from China in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. Airlines flying in from any airport in China including Hong Kong have been asked to make in-flight announcements requesting passengers with history of fever and cough and travel to Wuhan city in the past 14 days to self-declare at the port of arrival in order to facilitate early isolation. As part of an action plan by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), airlines staff will also guide the passengers in filling up the self-reporting forms, before disembarking, to be checked by staff on arrival.
A thermal screeening device for passengers arriving in India from China including Hong Kong in view of outbreak of Novel coronavirus (CoV) in China, at T3 of IGi airport in New Delhi.
In a statement, the ministry said: "The MoCA has directed for all logistics support and arrangements to be made immediately with regard to screening of passengers arriving in India from China including Hong Kong at the identified airports -- Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin apart from three airports at Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata identified earlier," the statement said. Thermal cameras will be installed at the pre-immigration area of the seven identified airports and airlines staff will bring the passengers to the health counters before the immigration check.
Health Ministry's advisory
A travel advisory has been issued by the Union Health Ministry regarding threat of novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province of China asking citizens to follow certain precautionary measures while visiting the country. Meanwhile, the health ministry has sought from the Ministry of External Affairs details of those who have applied for Indian visa since December 31 so that they can be counselled. The Union health secretary has also written to states and Union Territories to review their preparedness, identify gaps and strengthen core capacities in the area of surveillance, laboratory support and in particular, hospital preparedness in terms of isolation and ventilator management of patients with severe respiratory illness.
What is coronavirus, symptoms
The coronavirus (CoV) is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the virus that has killed four people in China is a novel strain not seen before. Common symptoms of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) strain, which has infected more than 300 people since the outbreak in Wuhan in December, include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death.
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