Coronavirus cases in India continue to rise, with the total number of people who tested positive crossing 50 on Tuesday.
According to Sanjeeva Kumar, the Special Secretary (Health), Union Health Ministry, out of the total number of cases, 16 are citizens of Italy, while the rest are Indian nationals. The virus has so far not claimed any lives.
Three people tested positive for the virus in Pune on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in the state to five.
Kerala registered 6 cases at the same time, bringing the state's total up to 12. These fresh cases were reported from Pathanamthitta, where already five positive patients remain under isolation.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday announced that classes and exams till seventh standard will remain suspended till March 31. The state has also declared a public health emergency.
In neighbouring Karnataka, there were three new cases of coronavirus confirmed on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected people to four.
Earlier on Tuesday, 58 Indians were brought back home from Iran in a military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The group included 25 men, 31 women and two children. It also brought swab samples of 529 Indians to carry out laboratory tests and check whether they have coronavirus infection.
Tuesday also saw subdued Holi celebrations across the country amid coronavirus fears. Earlier, many leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind had said that they would not participate in or hold Holi events.
Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Harsh Vardhan took to Twitter to add that he was in touch with the patients and the health ministers of the different states and union territories and was following the situation.
According to reports, the novel coronavirus has so far killed over 3,800 people, and there are over 110,000 confirmed cases of the new virus in the world at present.
The number of people who have recovered is about 62,000.
For many, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. However for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
(With inputs from agencies)
