UK man tests positive for COVID-19 in Dubai-bound flight, all 289 passengers off loaded

A UK citizen on Sunday tested positive for coronavirus and was deboarded from an aircraft while he was trying to leave through a Dubai-bound Emirates flight from Cochin International Airport in Kerala. He had allegedly boarded the flight without telling the authorities. The patient's samples were taken yesterday and he was advised to remain in quarantine.

As other passengers had also boarded the flight, all 289 passengers on board the aircraft were deboarded after the news came to light. The coronavirus patient, along with the other passengers, will be rushed to the hospital soon. As per the authorities, the UK citizen was previously in the Tea Country Resort in Munnar at the Idukki district.

Meanwhile, VS Sunil Kumar, Minister of Agriculture, Kerala, urged the public to not panic over the situation and assured that the airport will not be closed following the issue.

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The Coronavirus outbreak

In the wake of the spurt in cases of coronavirus across the country, the Central Government on Saturday decided to treat the deadly virus as a "notified disaster".

As of date, the total number of positive cases in India has soared up to around 107 as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Along with it, two deaths have been reported in Kalaburagi and West Delhi respectively. India has suspended all visas, barring for a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance the visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15.

First detected in Wuhan in December 2019, COVID-19- the novel coronavirus has affected nearly 141 countries in the world. Presently, there are over 152,428 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of 5,720 people. As there is no vaccine or specific antiviral medicine to treat COVID-19, countries have been grappling with all possible mechanisms to contain its scope. So far, China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran have witnessed the most number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.

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