Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday wrote to Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to ask him to see that all steps are taken by the Saudi Arabian authorities after reports emerged that nurses from the south Indian state in a hospital there are affected by the coronavirus.
In his letter to Jaishankar, Vijayan mentioned that nurses working at Jazeera Abha Al Hayath Hospital in Saudi Arabia have been identified as being infected with the coronavirus, and India should get in touch with the Saudi authorities to ensure that action is taken to help them.
According to reports, one Kerala nurse has already tested positive for the deadly virus.
The nurse, along with 30 other nurses — most from Kerala — have been currently placed in isolation.
The Kerala nurse who has tested positive is believed to have got the virus from a Filipino nurse, who was being looked after by her.
Meanwhile, the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) on Wednesday began screening all incoming passengers from China and Hong Kong, following the outbreak of the coronavirus.
The new virus was first spotted in Wuhan, capital of Central China’s Hubei province.
Corona viruses can infect both animals and people, and cause illness of the respiratory tract.
The symptoms of infection include high fever, difficulty in breathing among others. Detection becomes difficult when this surfaces like flu or a bad cold.
The incubation period from the time of exposure to the onset of symptoms is around two weeks.
