A three-year-old child from Kerala with a recent travel history to Italy has tested positive for coronavirus, multiple reports claimed. The child is in an isolation ward at the Ernakulam Medical College. The family had reached Kochi from Dubai on Saturday, according to Manorama, in an Emirates flight. Those who interacted with the child have been traced, and are in quarantine. The screening facility at the airport had detected a fever from the airport and the child was transported to the hospital. The child was accompanied by the mother and father, whose samples have been sent for testing.
On Sunday, five fresh coronavirus cases were reported in Kerala, bringing the tally to 39 yesterday. All the five who tested positive for the infection, days after the country's first three coronavirus patients from the state recovered, are relatives and hail from Ranni in Pathanamthitta district, Health Minister K.K. Shailaja told reporters.
The ministry of health had earlier published a travel advisory for Indian citizens, asking them to refrain from traveling to China, Iran, Republic of Korea, Italy and Japan. According to the statement: "Indian citizens are advised to refrain from travel to China, Iran, Republic of Korea, Italy and Japan and advised to avoid non-essential travel to other COVID-19 affected countries. In addition to visa restrictions already in place, passengers traveling from /having visited Italy or Republic of Korea and desirous of entering India will need certificate of having tested negative for COVID-19 from the designated laboratories authorized by the health authorities of these countries. This will be enforced from 00:00 hours of March 10, 2020, and is a temporary measure till cases of COVID-19 subside."
India had suspended all regular visas/e-visas granted on or before March 3 to nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan as part of measures to check spread of coronavirus in the country. The regular/e-visas granted to people from Italy, Iran, Japan and South Korea were suspended after these countries reported rising number of coronavirus cases. The e-visas granted to people from these four countries who have not yet entered India were also suspended with immediate effect. India had suspended regular/e-visas granted on or before February 5 to Chinese nationals and the restriction is continuing.
