'All arrangements made, people shouldn't worry': Karnataka CM Yediyurappa on Coronavirus

The Centre on Wednesday said that India now has 28 confirmed cases of Coronavirus. 16 of the 21 Italian tourists who were quarantined in New Delhi tested positive on Wednesday, said AIIMS. Amid the scare, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday said that people in the state need not worry about coronavirus as all necessary arrangements have been made to deal with the situation.

'People in Karnataka should not worry'

Speaking to news agency ANI in Bengaluru, he said, "We have issued instructions to all hospitals. We have made all the arrangements. People in Karnataka should not worry." Seeking to allay fear among the citizens in the wake of Coronavirus scare, Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Wednesday made an appeal to the people not to pay heed to rumours spreading on social media.

In a series of tweets, Sriramulu assured people that the government has taken adequate measures to ensure that the disease does not spread further. "Don't lend your ears to rumours about the Coronavirus in social media. Rely only on the authentic information," he tweeted. 

The minister's tweet came as Bengaluru reported the first case, after a techie from the city with a travel history to Dubai and interaction with Hong Kong-based people there, was admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad. As panic gripped the city, Sriramulu said the apartment where the software engineer was staying has been sanitised.

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'238 out of 251 blood tests were found negative'

Besides, his 25 colleagues have been identified. One of them has been admitted to the hospital as a precautionary measure and his blood sample has been sent for lab test. "So far 40,207 people have been screened at the International airport. 251 blood tests have been done, of which 238 were found negative, while the rest of the reports are yet to come," Sriramulu tweeted.

Global deaths due to coronavirus outbreak on Monday rose above 3,000 with the new count in China mainland rising to 2,912. The deadly virus, that originated in China late last year, continues to spread around the world and has infected more than 80,000 people.

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(With agency inputs)