Coronavirus: Over 130 people have died in China amid virus outbreak.
Amid widespread fear of spread of SARS-like coronavirus, that originated in China's Hubei provice last month, India today issued a fresh advisory for people planning to travel to the east Asian country. "Please refrain from travelling to China," the Health Ministry said today. The coronavirus outbreak in China, which has spread to other parts of world, has killed over 130 people in the country.
The number of confirmed cases in the new virus outbreak in China reached 5,974 on Wednesday, overtaking the number of people infected in the mainland by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome epidemic in 2002-2003, news agency AFP reported.
In a statement, Health Ministry today said: "In view of the spurt of cases being reported from China and travel related cases appearing in many countries, the travelers to China are advised the following: Please refrain from travelling to China. All travelers from China to monitor their health closely."
India is on high alert over virus scare that has spread across the world - United States, France, Australia, among other countries.
On Tuesday, the central government said it has launched the process of evacuating Indian nationals stranded in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the outbreak. As a precautionary measure, the thermal screening facilities have been extended to 21 airports now including Gaya, Guwahati, Vizag, Varanasi and Goa.
India stands at 23rd position among the top 30 countries at high risk from the spread of the 2019 coronavirus (2019-nCoV) researchers have identified. A report by the University of Southampton's WorldPop team has found Bangkok is currently the city most at risk from a global spread of the virus.
Coronavirus is a large family of viruses that cause respiratory illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).