Coronavirus: Local transmission rising, admits Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope

Five of the ten people who tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Maharashtra on Sunday got the infection through local transmission, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said.

The remaining five had a history of foreign travel, he added. "Today, as many as 10 people tested positive of which five got the infection locally. Remaining five got infected abroad and returned to India," Tope said at a press conference here.

"It is certainly a matter of concern as cases of local transmission are increasing," he added. The total number of coronavirus positive patients in Maharashtra has now risen to 74. Of the 10 new cases, six are in Mumbai and four in Pune.

A health official informed that the Centre had decided to stop flights into the country, starting from tonight, in a bid to block the "primary source" of the virus. "But those who are carrying the infection should be identified, tested and treated. We need cooperation of people in terms of travel history so that further transmission can be stopped," the official said.

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