Union Health Ministry reviewed the preparedness for the prevention and management of Novel Coronavirus in the country with States and Union territories. The meeting assumes significance in the wake of the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus in China. The disease has so far claimed 106 lives in China, while 4,500 people have been reported to be infected with the Novel Coronavirus globally.
Special Secretary in the Health Ministry Sanjeeva Kumar chaired the meeting with the representatives of State governments and UTs through video conferencing. Health Ministry has issued a travel advisory asking people to avoid all non-essential travel to China. It has also advised all travelers from China to monitor their health closely.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs has made a formal request to the Chinese Government for facilitating the evacuation of Indian Nationals from Wuhan in the Hubei province of China in light of the recent outbreak of Novel Coronavirus. A 24×7 Call Centre is active for responding to queries on the virus. The number is 011-23978046.
Jammu and Kashmir government has announced a slew of measures to check any suspected case of Corona Virus and ordered screening of people at airports arriving from China, Nepal and other countries. As part of an action plan to prevent the spread of the virus in Jammu and Kashmir, a control room in the office of State Surveillance Office at Srinagar and Jammu has been established. For any information and help related to the virus, helplines have been created with telephone numbers 0191-2549676, 0191-2520982 and 0194-2440283.
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