Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Coronavirus: 'We are creating awareness on a big scale'

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday spoke about the Coronavirus outbreak after meeting Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. According to him, not just the government, but the people are also very cautious about it.

Speaking about the government's role in stopping the virus from spreading, he said, "In the coming time, our aim is to stop the spreading of the virus. We are seeing that those who have a travel history are the ones who are infected. Whoever is coming in contact with them, are being tested and treated. In Delhi, we will create awareness on a big scale by making announcements through loudspeakers. We will also distribute pamphlets. Both the governments will work together on this."

He further added, "To all those who are coming to Delhi, they are screened at the airport itself. After that, the Delhi government is in touch with them for 14 days and if they show any symptoms, they will be tested."

On the precautionary measures

Speaking about the precautionary measures, CM Kejriwal said, "A healthy person need not wear a mask. Only the infected ones or those who were in touch with the infected persons need to wear it. Wash hands with soap, that is sufficient." Urging the people to refrain from gathering, he said, "I will not play Holi because of Coronavirus and Delhi riots. Avoid gatherings in Holi. Avoid personal touch." 

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India's Coronavirus count rises 

On Monday, the government revealed that positive cases of the novel Coronavirus in India had soared up to 43 after new cases were reported from across India including a three-year-old child. Four new cases emerged from Kerala, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu, which reported one positive case each raising the number to 43. Apart from this, 15 people are under observation for the virus in Maharashtra, however, no positive cases have been detected yet. 

The 43 that have been tested for the novel Coronavirus have been found positive from the 3,003 samples that were tested in the country. Out of these, 40 are active cases, the initial three which were reported from Kerala have been treated and discharged. The health ministry has advised people against mass gatherings to avoid the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

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Coronavirus outbreak

According to the latest reports, has claimed more than 3,800 lives across the globe and has infected over 1,09,000 people around the world since it first broke out in December 2019. While most of the cases are from Hubei province of China and the city of Wuhan (the epicentre of the outbreak), other countries including Iran, Italy, Japan and the Philippines have also reported deaths related to novel coronavirus.

First detected in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province of China, the virus outbreak has now spread across 20 countries since December 2019. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dubbed the virus as COVID-19. 

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