Thiruvananthapuram:
In the third novel coronavirus case reported in India, another Keralite student who returned from Wuhan university on Monday tested positive for the infection, Health Minister K K Shailaja said here on Monday.
The student is in an isolation ward at Kanhangad district hospital in Kasaragod district, she informed the state Assembly.The condition of the student is "stable", she said.
The person has had a history of travel history from Wuhan which is the epicentre of the virus. This was confirmed by the Kerala health ministry.
Out of the 104 samples tested till Sunday, three have been tested positive.This is the third posititve case reported from Kerala.
Two earlier posititve cases, also of students who came back from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, were reported from Thrissur and Alapuzha districts.
Meanwhile, the Centre has set up a task force to monitor the situation arising out of the novel coronavirus with representatives from the Ministries of Health, Home, Civil Aviation and Women and Child Development, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said on Monday.
The move came amidst reports that a third case of novel coronavirus was detected in Kerala and the person had recently returned from China.
"A task force has been set up to monitor novel coronavirus situation. The first meeting of the task force will be held today. We will discuss what all precautions need to be taken to prevent the spread of the virus," Reddy told reporters here.
G Kishan Reddy said that Indians, who want to return, will be evacuated from China.
"Whoever wants to come back to India, they should get in touch with our embassy," he said.
On Monday, the health ministry updated its travel advisory, which was issued on Sunday, and asked people to refrain from travelling to China in view of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in its Hubei province. It also said that travellers returning from the neighbouring country could be quarantined.
“Travel Advisory further revised informing the public to refrain from travel to China and that anyone with travel history in China since January 15, 2020 and from now on could be quarantined," said the statement released by the ministry in New Delhi.