Coronavirus update: Say no to panic, yes to precaution, advises PM Modi

In view of the coronavirus breakout in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked citizens to take precautions and ‘say no to panic’.

PM Modi asked central government ministers to halt travel to other countries. He also urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and large gatherings. He claimed avoiding these can help “break the chain of spread and ensure safety”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also assured full preparedness by all ministries and states. Steps like suspension of visas and augmenting health case capacities will curb the spread of coronavirus.

The Union Health Ministry also conducted a press conference to explain the current situation to the citizens.

Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry has claimed that currently 73 positive cases have been reported in India. Out of these confirmed cases, 56 are Indian nationals whereas 17 belong to other nationalities.

According to the Joint Secretary, the Indian government has evacuated around 900 Indian citizens and 48 foreign nationals from the affected countries. The 48 citizens were from Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, US, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa, and Peru.

The ministry claimed that most of the cases reported in India have come from outside the country and there are hardly any cases where there is any community transmission of the disease. Most of the Indian cases are either of people who have traveled from affected countries or close family of the carriers from other countries.

The authorities refrained from releasing any concrete information about the nature of the coronavirus. The ministry claimed that the facts are being studied and though it is generally expected that the virus won’t survive in higher temperatures, there is no exhaustive proof.

The Joint Secretary of Union Health Ministry also assured that the mask is not always necessary, if a person maintains effective social distance. The ministry claims, there is no need to panic as the government has already arranged for around 1 lakh testing kits and they have already ordered for more. Along with the kits, the government has also established 52 testing facilities along with 56 dedicated to sample collection.