Coronavirus: 106 quarantined in Maharashtra since January, no positive test results yet

Mumbai: A total of 106 persons, who arrived in Maharashtra from coronavirus-affected countries, were quarantined in the state since January 18 this year, of whom 104 have been found negative for the infection, while the test results of two others are awaited.

The state health department gave this information in a statement issued on Friday.

Of these 106 persons, only four are present in the isolation wards- two each at Naidu Hospital in Pune and Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai and reports of the swab samples of two of them are awaited from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), it said.

"Out of these 106 samples sent by the state, 104 have been found negative as per the reports of the NIV," a senior health department official said.

All the passengers arriving from 12 Covid-19 affected countries/regions- China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, Italy, Iran, and Malaysia- are being screened at the Mumbai airport.

So far, as many as 57,592 travellers, who arrived at the Mumbai International Airport in 475 flights, have been screened for possible infection, it said.

Apart from Mumbai, Pune and Thane, travellers are also monitored in Nanded, Buldhana, Nagpur, Wardha, Sangli, Ahmednagar, Amravati, Palghar, Jalgaon, Chandrapur and Satara districts, it added.

"Field surveillance is also actively going on all across the state in search of people coming from the coronavirus-affected areas," the official said.

Those who are suspected to have contracted the deadly infection are sent to isolation facilities for treatment.

However, no case of coronavirus infection has come to light in the state so far, the statement said.

All travellers from Wuhan city of China - the epicentre of the outbreak of epidemic - are being isolated and tested, irrespective of whether they show any symptoms are not, it added.

Follow-up at home is conducted for travellers from Covid-19-affected countries, who do not show any symptoms during the screening at the airport.

"Travellers coming from other affected parts are being followed for 14 days. Till date out of 326 travellers 228 has completed their follow-up of 14 days," the department said.