India’s coronavirus cases rise to 28, including 16 Italians

Thursday, 5 March 2020 01:33 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

NEW DELHI (Reuters): Sixteen Italians in India have tested positive for coronavirus, India’s health minister said yesterday, as the total number of cases in the country rose sharply to 28.

On Monday, the world’s second-most populous country had only six reported cases of coronavirus, but it is one of places US intelligence agencies are most closely monitoring due to concerns over how it would cope with a widespread outbreak.

An Italian visiting Rajasthan was among those who had tested positive earlier.

And yesterday, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said 15 of 21 tourists from Italy - Europe’s worst-affected country - who had been taken to a quarantine facility on the outskirts of New Delhi had tested positive for the virus.

Their Indian driver was also placed in quarantine, the minister said.

Vardhan said authorities were taking extra precautions against the spread of the virus after the sharp rise in cases.

“We will now screen all international passengers. We will not limit our screenings to 12 countries as we did earlier,” Vardhan told a news conference.

More than 93,000 cases have been reported worldwide, and several thousand have died from the flu-like coronavirus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and has since spread to more than 80 countries.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.