Nearly 13,000 Passengers Scanned For New Coronavirus At Indian Airports - Health Ministry

Nearly 13,000 Passengers Scanned for New Coronavirus at Indian Airports - Health Ministry

India has screened nearly 13,000 passengers of flights from China for a deadly coronavirus, the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Thursday

NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2020) India has screened nearly 13,000 passengers of flights from China for a deadly coronavirus, the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Thursday.

Earlier in the week, the Indian Civil Aviation Ministry ordered thermal screening of passengers at seven international airports across the country.

"As on 22nd January, 12,828 passengers from 60 flights have been screened for Novel Coronavirus symptoms, and no passenger has been detected in India so far," the ministry said.

The unknown type of pneumonia was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late December. Chinese experts later tentatively determined that this was a new strain of coronavirus, currently being labeled as 2019-nCoV or Novel Coronavirus.

As of now, there are 571 confirmed cases in China and 17 recorded deaths. Confirmed cases have also been recorded in the United States, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.

In light of the contagious coronavirus, precautionary measures have been taken at airports across the world. China's cities of Wuhan, Huanggang and Ezhou have been put on lockdown.