India To Conduct Thermal Screening Of Chinese Passengers At 20 Airports - Minister

India to Conduct Thermal Screening of Chinese Passengers at 20 Airports - Minister

Indian authorities will conduct thermal screening of passengers from China at 20 airports amid fears of the spread of the new coronavirus, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Tuesday

NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2020) Indian authorities will conduct thermal screening of passengers from China at 20 airports amid fears of the spread of the new coronavirus, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Tuesday.

"Till, now, thermal screening of passengers coming from China via Hong Kong was being done at 13 airports. From tomorrow, it will be expanded to seven more airports," Vardhan told ANI news agency.

Indian authorities previously introduced passenger checks at the airports of Chennai, Bangaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata.

"I request all people of the country not to panic as novel coronavirus has not come to India. We are cautioned and making all proactive preventive measures to keep our people safe. Anybody who is showing slight symptoms of flu is being kept under isolation. This does not mean that they are a case of coronavirus. These are just suspected ones and should be quarantined for some time for medical care," the minister added.

The new strain of coronavirus was originally reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December. Despite efforts to contain the disease, cases have already been reported in Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United States, Vietnam and some other nations. China's National Health Commission has so far confirmed a total of 4,515 infection cases and 106 deaths.