PM Modi's Dhaka trip cancelled after Bangladesh reports 3 Coronavirus cases

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was scheduled to visit Bangladesh, has cancelled the trip amid the surging Coronavirus threat, as per the sources. PM Modi was scheduled to attend the grand ceremony of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birth centenary on March 17 which has also been cancelled after Bangladesh confirmed its first batch of coronavirus cases.

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Director of the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Meerjady Sabrina Flora told an international daily that two of the three virus-infected -- all aged between 20 and 35 -- are men while the third is a woman. Three other people, who were in close contact with the infected trio, have also been quarantined. For the past few days, IEDCR has been emphasising cautiousness and improvement of personal hygiene, Flora said. Bangladesh government has urged its citizens who are returning from six countries namely China, Italy, South Korea, Singapore, Iran and Thailand, to remain in self-quarantine for 14 days.

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Schools shut, travel advisory imposed

India has recorded 43 positive cases as of now, of which 40 are active while the three positive cases from Kerala got discharged. Schools from various parts of the country including the national capital have been shut amid the Coronavirus scare. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also cancelled his participation in Holi festival amid the scare and has urged people to avoid mass gatherings. Amid the increasing Coronavirus cases in India and other countries, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on March 4 released an updated travel advisory on the COVID-19. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that universal screening has been started at all international airports in India to detect the cases.

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The deadly virus, that reportedly started in China late last year, continues to spread around the world and has infected more than 110,041 people claiming over 3,800 lives worldwide. 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 the novel coronavirus.

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(With ANI inputs)