Coronavirus: MHRD asks educational institutes to create awareness on preventive measures

Amid the Coronavirus outbreak, Union Ministry of Human Resource Development Secretary Amit Khare on Wednesday asked all the educational institutes to create awareness in schools on precautionary measures. As per reports, Khare instructed the Central Board of Education (CBSE) and Chief Secretaries of States and Union Territories to ensure awareness in schools. 

He said, "In order to create awareness among students, preventive interventions such as frequent handwash, respiratory etiquettes would help in preventing/reducing transmission of not only this disease (coronavirus) but also a large number of other communicable diseases, notable flu-like illness." 

Ministry issues travel advisory

As Coronavirus cases are on a rise in India with 30 cases confirmed so far, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday issued a travel advisory. Taking to Twitter, the Ministry mentioned that the following advisory is a supersession of all the other advisories issued earlier. 

Read: Coronavirus: J&K High Court seeks Centre’s response on evacuation of students from Iran

Coronavirus cases rise in India 

On Wednesday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan revealed that 28 people had been confirmed Coronavirus-positive in the country, including in New Delhi. He said that out these 16 were Italian Nationals. They have been sent to Indo-Tibetan Border Police's (ITBP) quarantine facility in Chhawla. Following this, two more cases have come to light, including a Paytm employee. 

The 28 also include six family members of the Delhi man who was infected with coronavirus who were also tested positive for the virus that has killed more than 3,000 people globally so far.

Read: Himachal Pradesh: 3 suspected cases of Coronavirus found in State says CM Jairam Thakur

Coronavirus outbreak

According to the latest reports, 42 new deaths in China due to coronavirus infections have been confirmed, taking the total death toll to over 3,000. 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. 

Read: Barack Obama urges people to take 'stay calm', 'listen to experts' amid coronavirus scare

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(With ANI Inputs)