Coronavirus outbreak highlights: All Indians evacuated from Wuhan tested negative, says Health Ministry

All Indians evacuated from China's Wuhan city, who were kept in isolation at Army Base and ITBP camps, tested negative for coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday. It also said that as of February 6, 1,38,750 passengers from 1,265 flights had been screened for novel coronavirus illness but no new case was detected, news agency PTI reported.

The government has evacuated 640 Indians from coronavirus-hit China and the complex operation was done with Beijing's assistance, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.  MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said apart from those evacuated, 10 other Indians have indicated that they want to come back from China, but were unable to clear the health screening process. "We are in regular contact with them and exploring all possibilities for their return," Kumar said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) stated Thursday that in its mission to contain the further spread of the deadly novel coronavirus, the international community has launched a US$675 million preparedness and response plan which will cover a timespan of February to April. At least 563 individuals have lost their lives to the virus infection that originated in China’s Wuhan province and has infected around 28,000 people, according to the Chinese government. READ MORE

Saudi Arabia has suspended travel to China for both citizens and non-Saudi residents of the kingdom, state news agency SPA said on Thursday. Citizens who break the suspension would be held accountable, SPA said, while foreign residents would not be allowed back into the country if they travelled to China.

Two planes carrying about 350 Americans out of Wuhan, China, arrived at an Air Force base in California on Wednesday as the United States stepped up efforts to bring its citizens home from the epicenter of the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak.

The travelers on the two-State Department-chartered flights will be quarantined for 14 days, the presumed incubation period of the new coronavirus strain that prompted the Trump administration last week to declare a US public health emergency. The cargo jets landed at Travis Air Force Base, about midway between San Francisco and Sacramento, and one continued on to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station near San Diego after refueling.

A Chinese newborn has been diagnosed with the new coronavirus just 30 hours after birth, the youngest case recorded so far, state media was quoted as saying by BBC. The baby was born on 2 February in a local hospital in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus. The baby's mother tested positive before she gave birth. I

Local Thai media quoted Thailand Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul as saying that a taxi driver who had carried Chinese passengers in his cab.  The man has been 'treated, cleared and discharged' by Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute, Bangkok Post reported. 

China is considering delaying the annual meeting of its top legislative body, five people familiar with the matter said, as it grapples with a coronavirus epidemic that has forced drastic curtailment of travel and other activity to curb its spread. The National People's Congress (NPC), made up of about 3,000 delegates, typically gathers for a session lasting at least 10 days in Beijing, beginning on March 5, to pass legislation and unveil key economic targets for the year. A postponement would be the first since China adopted the current March schedule in 1995 for the meeting of parliament. (REUTERS) 

# Wash your hands frequently

# Practice respiratory hygiene

# Maintain social distancing

# Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth

# If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early

# If you have mild respiratory symptoms and no travel history to or within China

# Wash your hands frequently and practice respiratory hygiene

# Maintain social distancing

# Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth

# If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early

# If you have mild respiratory symptoms and no travel history to or within China, carefully practice basic respiratory and hand hygiene and stay home until you are recovered, if possible.

# As a general precaution, practice general hygiene measures when visiting live animal markets, wet markets or animal product markets

# Avoid consumption of raw or undercooked animal products

Taiwan's health authority banned all international cruise ships from docking at the island from Thursday amid increasing threat of the coronavirus outbreak, after 10 more people were tested positive for the virus on a quarantined cruise liner in Japan. Many tourists aboard the Japanese cruise ship entered Taiwan for a day-trip when the boat anchored at its northern port of Keelung on Jan. 31, according to immigration authority, with local media saying they probably visited several popular tourist sites in Taipei. (Reuters)

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has said that it will not restrict Chinese players from participating in international competitions due to the coronavirus epidemic. Over 550 people have died in mainland China due to the flu-like virus after it first emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province, late last year and it has also shut down Chinese cities and forced thousands more into quarantine around the world.

More than two dozen airlines have suspended or restricted flights to China and several countries have banned entry to anyone who has been in China over the previous two weeks. "The BWF is looking into the implications of these travel restrictions, which may mean players and officials from China will not be able to participate in BWF-sanctioned tournaments easily," the governing body said in a statement. (Reuters)

Four people, including a 29-year-old Sanpada resident, became the latest to be quarantined after they were suspected of having contracted the coronavirus. The 29-year-old’s samples have been collected for testing at a newly-opened laboratory in Kasturba Hospital, where he is also being quarantined. The results are awaited, doctors said. READ MORE

Ten more people on a quarantined cruise liner in the port of Yokohama south of Tokyo have tested positive for coronavirus, the health ministry said on Thursday. About 3,700 people are facing at least two weeks quarantine on the Diamond Princess ship after 10 people were initially confirmed with the virus and moved to medical facilities. The total number of coronavirus patients in Japan is now 45. (Reuters)

As the dreaded coronavirus (nCoV) continues to spread, the poultry industry is wary of what they say is a misinformation campaign linking broiler meat with the spread of the virus. A section of the industry has sought government help to fight this campaign, which they say has affected the consumption of poultry meat by as much as 50 per cent. On Wednesday, a section of the industry filed a complaint with the cyber cell of Pune police seeking action against people spreading misinformation. READ MORE

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus increased to 28,018,  Thursday while the death toll was recorded as 560, according to the National Health Commission of China.

Six Mohali residents, who had recently travelled to China and were put under medical observation, have tested negative for the novel coronavirus infection.

Sharing the findings of the test report which came on Tuesday, Mohali civil surgeon Dr Manjit said that the samples of the suspected patients were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune on February 1. The six suspected patients, included two students, who had visited China after January 15. READ MORE

Six Mohali residents, who had recently travelled to China and were put under medical observation, have tested negative for the novel coronavirus infection.

Sharing the findings of the test report which came on Tuesday, Mohali civil surgeon Dr Manjit said that the samples of the suspected patients were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune on February 1. The six suspected patients, included two students, who had visited China after January 15. READ MORE

Uzbekistan has evacuated 84 people from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of a coronavirus outbreak, and will place them in quarantine upon arrival in Tashkent, the Central Asian nation's state airline said on Wednesday. Uzbekistan Airways said in a statement the passengers were being accompanied by doctors and specialists with protective equipment. (REUTERS)

China's yuan eased slightly against the dollar on Wednesday after the central bank fixed its midpoint at a new more than one-month low, and investors gauged the hit to the economy from the spreading coronavirus epidemic.

Policy sources told Reuters that Chinese policymakers are readying measures to support the economy from the outbreak that began late last year that is expected to have a devastating impact on first-quarter growth.

Prior to market opening, the People's Bank of China set the midpoint rate at 6.9823 per dollar, 44 pips or 0.06% weaker than the previous fix of 6.9779. Wednesday's official guidance rate was the weakest since Dec. 27, 2019. (Reuters)

Belgium  reported its first case of the coronavirus, found in one of the nine citizens who were repatriated from Wuhan over the weekend. The Belgian Health Ministry said the infected individual was in good health and didn't show any symptoms of the disease. The person was taken to a special hospital for further care while the others remained under observation. (AP)

India's biennial auto show that kicks-off this week is set to be dominated by Chinese automakers showcasing cutting-edge electric vehicles and connected cars - but with booths staffed only by Indian employees and representatives. With the death toll from a new coronavirus outbreak in China nearing 500 and cases of the disease spreading across the globe, organisers of the show are reassuring visitors that officials arriving from China will not be in attendance. "There will be no visitors or delegations from China at the Motor Show 2020," Rajan Wadhera, president of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) - which is organising the show - said in a statement on Tuesday. (Reuters)

Britain on Tuesday urged all of its citizens in China to leave the country because of the outbreak of a respiratory illness from a new virus, while Belgium became the latest nation to announce a confirmed case. An updated advisory issued by the U.K. Foreign Office said that while commercial flights remained available from most of mainland China, travel restrictions introduced by the Chinese government to contain the epidemic meant "it may become harder to access departure options over the coming weeks.

“If you're in China and able to leave, you should do so,” the advisory said. France also issued an advisory, warning against any non-essential travel to China and suggesting that French citizens who were already there return home. (AP)

Ten people on board a cruise liner docked in the Japanese port of Yokohama have tested positive for coronavirus, Japan's health minister said on Wednesday, a figure that could rise as medical screening of thousands of patients and crew continued. The 10 confirmed cases were among 31 results from 273 people tested so far, Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told a news conference on Wednesday morning.

There are around 3,700 passengers and crew aboard the Carnival Corp ship. It was not immediately clear how many people had been screened and how many would undergo testing for the virus. (Reuters)

Tokyo Olympics organizers on Wednesday said they are increasingly concerned about the disruption the fast-spreading virus in China is causing ahead of the games, which open in just under six months. Chief Executive Officer Toshiro Muto sounded a grave note speaking at a meeting with officials of the International Paralympic Committee.

``I am seriously worried that the spread of the infectious disease could throw cold water on the momentum toward the games,`` Muto said, speaking in Japanese. ``I hope that it will be stamped out as soon as possible.'' (AP) 

The lockdown in China to control the outbreak has the potential to disrupt global supply chains of various essential products and consumer goods. If the situation does not improve soon, several industries in India and, ultimately, its citizens, could be impacted. Major hubs for bulk drug exports are located far from Wuhan, but some industry executives said they were “closely” monitoring the situation as their imports from these hubs too have been impacted due to the extension of the Lunar New Year holidays. Read more here

Chinese expatriates in Mumbai, who had travelled to their country to celebrate the Chinese New Year, are now stuck with no clarity on when they can return to India.

Amid rising fear of coronavirus outbreak, while multiple airlines have suspended flight operations to China, India had, on February 2, suspended e-visas issued since January 15 to Chinese nationals and foreigners who reside in China. India on Tuesday further tightened visa rules by cancelling the existing visas for Chinese and foreigners who had visited the country in the last two weeks. Read more

District authorities in Punjab’s Faridkot had to seek the help of local police to make a 38-year-old man with coronavirus-like symptoms get admitted in the isolation ward of a government hospital, officials said Tuesday. The Kotakpura resident had come from Canada via China and had spent nine hours at the Shanghai airport before returning to India. Though he went through relevant checks at the Delhi airport, district authorities said he had called on the helpline number on Monday and said he was feeling feverish and had a cough. READ MORE

Two students, who had come from Wuhan and were under home quarantine here, have slipped out of the country and gone to Saudi Arabia, disregarding the directions of the health authorities to refrain from travelling during the incubation period of the novel coronavirus.

Kozhikode District Medical Officer Dr V Jayasree said the two students had reached Kerala on January 15. While they did not have any symptoms of the infection, they had been quarantined. They left the country two days ago. READ MORE

The evacuation over the weekend of 654 individuals — 647 Indians and seven Maldivians — on two Air India flights from Wuhan, ground zero of the novel coronavirus outbreak, marked the culmination of a complex 96-hour operation mounted by New Delhi that involved engaging with Beijing at multiple levels. Besides the obvious health risks, there were logistic challenges to be overcome and diplomatic sensitivities to be negotiated. READ MORE