Four Chinese nationals quarantined in Bengaluru

The Karnataka Family Health and Welfare Department has quarantined four Chinese nationals in the city, as part of coronavirus preventive measures, an official said on Wednesday.

"Doctors are visiting the Chinese nationals every day, currently lodged in a hotel. They are under observation," the department's Communicable Diseases wing joint director, B.T. Prakash Kumar told IANS.

In addition to the Chinese, the doctors are also observing two more Bengalureans.

However, no positive coronavirus case has been reported in Bengaluru thus far, Kumar said.

The state health department is following two methods of quarantining suspected cases, one is hospitalising and collecting their sputum samples to send them to Pune for testing, while the second one is to quarantine the asymptomatic cases at their residences.

"We are contacting the asymptomatic cases every day, if they develop any symptoms, we will admit them in the hospital," said Kumar.

Irrespective of the place of quarantine, the health department is in touch with the suspected persons every day.

"We are getting information from the suspected cases every day. We have requested them to stay at home and not venture out to crowded places," said Kumar.

Though they are asymptomatic, Kumar said the suspected cases are not allowed to attend any function or celebration and will be watched for 28 days.

Over the past few days, the department has been observing suspected cases in batches and discharging negative cases regularly, Kumar said.

On Tuesday, a person testing negative for the coronavirus was discharged.

Of the 11 people quarantined till Tuesday, six are being observed at home, including the four Chinese in the hotel and the two Bengalureans, balance five are being observed at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in the city.

Out of the five cases in the hospital, Kumar said three will be discharged today.

In eight days time from January 20 to 28, as many as 3,275 passengers were subjected to thermal screening at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in the city. On Tuesday, 224 passengers were screened at the airport.

Of the 3,275 passengers screened at the airport, only three had a history of visiting China's Wuhan -- the epicentre of the disease outbreak -- in the last 14 days.

In China, 106 people have died from the coronavirus till Tuesday. IANS