Coronavirus scare: 2 suspected case in J&K, schools shut till Mar 31

Srinagar, Mar 07: All primary schools in Jammu and Samba districts have been shut down after two people were suspected to be infected by the highly contagious Novel Coronavirus, the government said today.

"The test reports of the two suspected coronavirus patients were received, which spoke of them being high viral-load cases. There is a high probability of their testing positive for the infection," Principal Secretary of Planning in the newest Union Territory Rohit Kansal tweeted this morning.

He added that both the patients were kept in isolation at the Government Medical College, Jammu.

"They are stable and all protocols are being followed," the spokesperson said.

The two patients with a travel history to coronavirus-hit Italy and South Korea had fled the hospital's isolation ward on Wednesday shortly after their admission, but were brought back within hours. Their samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.

The government appealed to the public to fully cooperate wherever quarantine was advised.

Of the 31 people infected with the coronavirus in India, 16 are Italian tourists. The most recent was a Delhi man who had travelled to Thailand and Malaysia. The patient is stable and being monitored.

The World Health Organisation said over one lakh people have been infected and 3,500 deaths have been reported globally. The Novel Coronavirus was first detected at a seafood market in China's Wuhan. It spread quickly from there.