New Delhi, March 12: The government on Thursday held a media briefing on actions taken, preparedness and updates for the management of COVID 19 in the country. Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary (Health), informed that India has always prioritized the safety and welfare of its citizens abroad, and mounted timely evacuation of its citizens from coronavirus-hit countries. The Minister informed that 52 testing facilities are located across the country along with 56 sample collection centers.  

Coronavirus Vaccine May Take About 2 Years

The Indian Council of Medical Research said that have managed to isolate the coronavirus and informed that the the vaccines will take a minimum of 1.5 to 2 years. In India, 73 positive cases have been reported, which includes 56 Indians and 17 foreigners. The Health Ministry said that all facts about  Coronavirus are still being studied as there are no confirmatory studies. During the briefing, Aggarwal said that it is generally expected that the virus, if it is in higher temperatures may have difficulty in surviving, but it is not confirmed. Coronavirus Live Map: Track The Spread of COVID-19 Across The Globe.

The government said that the visas of all foreigners already in India remain valid and they may contact the nearest FRRO/FRO through e-FRRO module for extension/conversion etc. of their visa or grant of any consular service, if they choose to do so. Agarwal informed that all incoming passengers are being universally screened at the 30 airports across the country.

India Brings Back 900 Citizens From COVID-hit Nations

Talking about the evacuation of stranded Indians, Agarwal stated that so far, the Government has evacuated 900 Indian citizens along with 48 belonging to other nationalities like Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, US, Nepal Madagascar, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Peru. In addition, 83 evacuees from Italy who arrived yesterday have been housed at Manesar facility for quarantine. COVID-19 Update: China Says Peak of Current Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease in the Country Is Now Over.

India has no Community Transmission So far

In the wake of the rising number of COVID-19 positive cases, Agarwal said the GoM has met 6 times so far, guiding, reviewing and monitoring the situation to continuously monitor the situation and evaluate preparedness and formulate measures regarding management of COVID-19 in the country. The Minister said right now, luckily for India we do not have any community transmission. "We have only a few cases that have come from outside & they have primarily affected their close family members", he said.

Around 1 lakh Testing Kits Available in India

About the preparedness of COVID-19 in India, Aggarwal said there are around 1 lakh testing kits available, additional testing kits have already been ordered and they are also in procurement. The Minister said mask is not always necessary, if a person maintains effective social distance, mask is not needed. There is no need to panic. He said 52 testing facilities are located across the country. There are a total of 56 sample collection centers.

All Existing Visas Suspended Till April 15, 2020

Aggarwal said all existing visas (except diplomatic, official, UN/International Organizations, employment, project visas) stand suspended till April 15, 2020. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on March 13, 2020 at the port of departure. The Minister said that visa free travel facility granted to OCI card holders is kept in abeyance till April 15, 2020. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on March 13, 2020 at the port of departure.

International traffic through land borders will be restricted to designated check posts with robust screening facilities. These will be notified separately by M/o Home Affairs. Meanwhile, all international Passengers entering into India are required to furnish duly filled self-declaration form in duplicate (including personal particulars i.e. phone no. and address in India) to Health Officials and Immigration officials and undergo Universal Health Screening at the designated health counters at all Points of Entry.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 12, 2020 03:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).