Amid Coronavirus, Indian Air Force curtails parties, social gatherings & Holi celebrations

With 31 people now having tested positive in India for Coronavirus, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has banned social gatherings, parties, and all Holi celebrations. A total of 12,857 confirmed cases and 220 deaths have been reported from outside China from 78 different countries, including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

As per sources, a circular was issued to all command headquarters, which instructed the units to conduct a morning parade to check if any officer or Jawan is showing signs of cough, cold and fever. Those found to be carrying symptoms of the virus will be admitted to the nearest military hospital.

Furthermore, the circular also mandates all officers and Jawans who have had any contact with a suspected case of Coronavirus to immediately seek medical advice. All personnel and their families with a travel history of Iran, Italy, Singapore, and Korea have been asked to check into a quarantine facility for 14 days.

Earlier in the day, the defence personnel had also been asked to avoid non-essential travel to foreign countries and to follow the Health Ministry advisories. The personnel have also been instructed to not visit crowded places such as movie theatres and shopping malls. 

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Health Min Issues Detailed Coronavirus Update In Rajya Sabha; '30 positive Cases'

Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Thursday presented a statement on the novel coronavirus outbreak, in the Rajya Sabha. He said that India has reported a total of 29 positive cases of the Coronavirus - since rising to 31. He also mentioned that India initiated required preparedness and action since January 17, much before the advice of the World Health Organisation.

During his address, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, "On the present situation on the novel coronavirus disease and the actions taken by the government of India. As mentioned earlier, coronavirus is a large group of viruses that cause illness in humans and animals. Rarely animal coronaviruses can also evolve and infect people and spread between people as seen in severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003 and middle east respiratory syndrome in 2014."  

READ: 11 coronavirus deaths in US, working hard to keep numbers low: Trump

Coronavirus outbreak

The new coronavirus also known as COVID-19 has claimed more than 3,300 lives across the globe of which 3,000 deaths were reported from China alone. The virus has infected over 97,000 people all across the world since it first broke out in December 2019. According to reports, at least 280 people have died outside mainland China, which makes it the worst disease outbreak of the 21st century. Italy, Iran and South Korea are the most affected countries apart from China, where 148, 107 and 40 people have died respectively.

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READ: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan visits IGI airport to take stock of Coronavirus preparedness