Coronavirus: Goa government to form Special Task Force to monitor cases in the state

The Goa government has decided to form a special task force to monitor cases, if any, of coronavirus in the tourist state. Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Sunday said that people arriving in Goa from the virus-affected regions outside India would be closely monitored.

"I have given instructions to form a special task force to monitor any cases of coronavirus in Goa. All the activities, including people arriving from the virus-affected regions, would be closely monitored and reported to the state Chief Secretary," Rane told reporters.

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The task force will work as per the guidelines laid down by the Union Ministry of Health, he added. The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the virus in China is a novel strain and not seen before.

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Death toll reached 80 in China

The death toll from China's new coronavirus grew to 80 on Monday as residents of Hubei province, where the disease originated, were banned from entering Hong Kong amid global efforts to halt the rapid spread of the outbreak.

The number of deaths from the flu-like virus in Hubei province climbed from 56 to 76 overnight, health commission officials said, with four deaths elsewhere. The total number of confirmed cases in China had risen about 30% to 2,744.

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