Coronavirus scare has hit Mumbai as a passenger travelling to the city was suspected of having the infection after being screened at the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The viral outbreak that began in China has infected over 86,000 people globally and has made several countries declare a medical emergency.
According to the Maharashtra Health Department, since January 18, 2020, the total number of passengers who have been screened at the Mumbai airport is 59,654 for possible exposure to the coronavirus (Covid-19).
Sunday saw a suspected case of coronavirus making its way to the Mumbai airport. In Maharashtra, about 105 persons, quarantined for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus, were discharged from hospitals with four people still under observation.
There are two people admitted in Mumbai for quarantine and one person each is admitted to isolation wards of hospitals in Pune and Nashik.
Mumbai airport authorities are screening all passengers arriving from 12 Covid-19 affected countries/regions -- China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, Italy, Iran and Malaysia.
As per the National Institute of Virology's (NIV) reports, until now, out of all passengers screened, as many as 98 travelers who had arrived from Covid-19- affected areas were quarantined in hospitals in Maharashtra and out of them 95 tested negative.
Passengers who are not showing any symptoms during screening at the airports after coming from Covid-19 affected countries are being followed-up at home. Health department stated that out of 312 travelers, 228 have completed their follow-up of 14 days.
In order to combat the virus and keep it under control, preventive safety measures were announced by some of the major and busiest international airports in the world against the spread of the 2019 Wuhan coronavirus. Within a month's time Covid-19, after its outbreak in China, has spread to 34 countries.
Despite several measures in place, the virus is spreading to many countries at a rapid pace and it is a cause of concern for health departments around the world.
However, no case of coronavirus infection has come to light in Maharashtra so far, the Health Department said in the statement.
