Four suspected coronavirus cases test negative, screening stepped up

As on Friday evening, five people — three in Mumbai, and one each in Hyderabad and Bengaluru — were quarantined after they displayed symptoms of the infection.

Across airports in India, 20,844 passengers from 96 flights have been screened for the symptoms so far. File

Four samples suspected to contain novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) have tested negative at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, top officials at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) told The Indian Express on Friday.

As on Friday evening, five people — three in Mumbai, and one each in Hyderabad and Bengaluru — were quarantined after they displayed symptoms of the infection. Two samples from Mumbai and one each from Hyderabad and Bengaluru were sent to NIV.

“All four samples with suspected novel coronavirus that were sent to NIV for investigations have tested negative,” ICMR director general Dr Balram Bhargava told The Indian Express.

Officials have said that the suspected cases will be observed for 28 days. Maharashtra epidemiologist Dr Pradeep Awate said, “Neither China nor the World Health Organization has transmission period for this virus. Usually, it takes only a few days for coronavirus symptoms to surface. We are observing these cases for double the period. It will provide sufficient window to detect any symptoms.”

Maharashtra Director of Health Services Dr Archana Patil has also issued an advisory about the virus and said that there was no case so far in the state. Respiratory illnesses are common during this season and surveillance measures have been stepped up, Patil said, adding that a list of do’s and don’ts has also been issued.

Across airports in India, 20,844 passengers from 96 flights have been screened for 2019-nCoV symptoms as on Friday evening. A travel advisory has been extended to 12 more airports. These are Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Coimbatore, Guwahati, Gaya, Bagdogra, Jaipur, Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Varanasi and Visakhapatnam. At all these airports, signages have been displayed at prominent locations informing the public about self-reporting of illness. Immigration officers manning the counters have also been sensitised.

Thermal screening is currently being done at the International airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin.

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The US-based Centre for Disease Control in their statement said, “Person to person spread of 2019-n-CoV is occurring though it is not clear how easily it spreads and further investigations are underway.”-

With ENS Delhi, Mumbai

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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