Coronavirus threat: Man in Raipur insists on test

Amid the coronavirus scare in the country, a man who arrived from Kenya via Dubai insisted on getting tested at Raipur airport, the government said on Thursday, after a section of the media had reported that one confirmed case of COVID-19 was detected in Chhattisgarh.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provided the clarification after it was reported earlier in the day that a person tested positive for the novel coronavirus that has claimed over 3,000 lives in China -- the epicentre of the virus outbreak, so far.

According to the Health Ministry, a person at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur insisted on a test for COVID-19 after he arrived from Kenya via Dubai.

"At the airport he insisted on getting tested. We have sent his sample to Nagpur. Results awaited. Meanwhile, he is at home, in isolation," an official said.

According to the travel advisory, the government said passengers, both foreigners and Indians, arriving directly or indirectly from China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore and Taiwan must undergo medical screening.

While the advisory does not encompass Dubai or Kenya in it, some cases have been reported from the Middle East.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had earlier said travel advisories would be revised on the basis of the coronavirus situation.

At least 28 cases have been reported from India so far, according to the Health Ministry, of which 3 from Kerala had been cured earlier. IANS