2,421 people in Kerala under observation including 100 in quarantine facilities: Kerala Health Minister on coronavirus outbreak

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], Feb 4 (ANI): In wake of coronavirus outbreak, a total of 2,421 people in Kerala have been put under observation including 100 people in quarantine facilities, state Health Minister KK Shailaja said here on Tuesday.
"A total of 2,421 people have been put under observation including 100 people in quarantine facilities," said Sahilaja in a press conference here.
Quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people.
The minister said that people who have returned from China should not go out of their homes for 28 days.
On Monday, Shailaja said the state government has declared coronavirus as a state disaster.

"Kerala today (Monday) declared the novel coronavirus as a state disaster. We want to strengthen our surveillance system and precautionary measures," she said.

"When we came to know that n-coronavirus is rampant in China, we put in place our own system to contain the virus. There are many students from Kerala in China. We expect that they will come back and the coronavirus may affect the state," she added.

The minister further stated, "We have three positive cases of coronavirus so far. The samples had been sent to the National Institute of Virology for testing. We are calling back the health officers from leave and putting in place all measures to contain the effect of this virus".

Shailaja had informed that the third case of coronavirus tested positive in Kasargod, Kerala.

The virus originated in Wuhan in December and has since then spread to various parts around the world.
China has imposed quarantine and travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate. (ANI)