Rahul Gandhi 'senses government not taking Coronavirus threat seriously'; gives a warning

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the BJP-led Central government of not taking the Coronavirus threat "seriously". Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said that the Coronavirus is an "extremely serious threat to our people and our economy." He added that "Timely action is critical." However, he failed to explain why he felt that the Government has not taken the threat seriously. 

'We thank and appreciate India's support'

China on Monday expressed appreciation over the letter written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering assistance to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. "We thank and appreciate India's support for China's fight against the NCP (Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia). India's acts of goodwill fully demonstrate its friendship with China", said the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

Prime Minister Modi had written to President Xi Jinping and offered India's assistance to face the challenge. PM also offered condolences at the unfortunate loss of lives due to the outbreak.

India offered to evacuate students from neighbouring countries

On February 7, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed the Parliament that India had offered to evacuate students from all its neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, studying in Wuhan. “This was an offer made to all our neighbours but only seven nationals of Maldives chose to avail the offer,” Jaishankar had said. India had despatched aircraft of the state-owned Air India on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 to Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak. So far, over 600 Indians have been evacuated from China.

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India is leading efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak in the Southeast Asian region, even as the three confirmed cases at home keep health officials on their toes. India has also agreed to test clinical samples from abroad in its laboratories, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan informed Parliament.

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“Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has offered to do testing of samples for southeast Asian region countries. We have agreed to provide technical assistance to Bhutan in managing this infectious disease and screening of passengers,” he said. India has already been testing samples sent from the Maldives, stated Harsh Vardhan. The death toll in China from the novel coronavirus epidemic has surpassed 1,000 and the number of confirmed cases has risen to over 40,000.

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