Delhi CM Kejriwal calls emergency meeting on coronavirus day after city reports first case

The first case of coronavirus in Delhi was reported on Monday after a person who had visited Italy tested positive for Covid-19.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has called an emergency meeting with his health department on Tuesday to prevent a possible outbreak of coronavirus in the national Capital.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with met PM Modi on Tuesday morning and discussed the spread of coronavirus in the city among other issues. (PTI)

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain, chief secretary Vijay Kumar Dev and top officials of the health department have been asked to attend the meeting, officials in the chief minister’s office told HT.

The meeting was called a couple of hours after Kejriwal, in a courtesy meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, discussed the spread of coronavirus in Delhi and parts of the national capital region (NCR) among other issues. “I also discussed about coronavirus in the meeting with the PM and it was agreed upon that both the Central and the Delhi governments will work together to tackle this deadly disease,” Kejriwal said after meeting Modi.

Later in the afternoon after reviewing preparedness to fight coronavirus, the PM also tweeted on the issue urging people not to panic.

“There is no need to panic. We need to work together, take small yet important measures to ensure self-protection,” he tweeted.

Delhi reported its first case of coronavirus on Monday after a person who had visited Italy tested positive for Covid-19.

On Tuesday, a private school in neighbouring Noida declared a three-day closure after it was found that the children of the Delhi man diagnosed with novel coronavirus study there. Shortly afterwards, another school in the area announced that it will remain shut till March 9.

Along with the Delhi case, one more case of a Hyderabad man infected with coronavirus was reported on Monday, taking the official number of reported infections in the country to five, the first three being reported from Kerala. Though an Italian tourist was also found positive for the virus in Jaipur, the central government did not confirm the development.

India has stepped up preparedness to deal with the situation and also intensified medical screening. The government has said all visas—regular and e-visa—issued to nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan on or before Tuesday have been suspended.

The global death toll from COVID-19 so far has exceeded 3,000, with the virus spreading to more than 60 countries. The virus broke out in Wuhan late last year and has since infected more than 89,000 people, mostly in China, according to a Reuters tally.