Two fresh coronavirus cases reported in India
New Delhi: Two fresh cases of the novel coronavirus -- one in Delhi and another in Telangana -- have been reported in India, taking the number of people who have tested positive for the respiratory virus in the country to five so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.
The infected person from Delhi recently travelled to Italy while the other patient from Telangana travelled to Dubai, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said, adding that the government has stepped up its vigil and efforts to detect and prevent the spread of the deadly virus that has killed 2,912 people in China and has spread to at least 58 countries.
The three persons, which include two medical students of a university at Wuhan, who had earlier tested positive for COVID-19 in Thrissur, Alappuzha and Kasaragod districts in Kerala were discharged following recovery.
Addressing a press conference here, Vardhan advised people to refrain from non-essential travel to Iran, Italy, South Korea and Singapore.
Italy is reeling under swelling cases of the coronavirus infection while UAE has reported 19 cases so far.
The infected person from Delhi recently travelled to Italy, while the other patient from Telangana has travelled to Dubai, the Union Health Minister said.
He said both the patients had self-reported after they developed symptoms like respiratory problems, cough and fever. "They have tested positive. They are stable and being closely monitored," Vardhan said. The minister further said the Indian government is in discussion with Iran and Italian authorities to evacuate Indians there.
Vardhan, who held a meeting of the Group of Ministers constituted to monitor the current status and actions for prevention and management of novel coronavirus, said India has already suspended e-visas/visas issued to Iranian and Chinese nationals over the rising number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in these countries.
"Depending on the evolving situation, visa restrictions may be extended to other countries," he said.
Vardhan said around 1,086 people who returned from Iran in recent times have been recommended for community surveillance.
Authorities are screening travellers arriving from Kathmandu, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan at 21 designated airports in the country for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus.
A total of 5,57,431 passengers have been screened at airports and 12,431 at major and minor seaports so far, Vardhan said.
He also informed that around 10,24,922 people have been screened in the villages of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim bordering Nepal.
Besides, as many as 25,738 people are under community surveillance across India while 37 people suspected to have COVID-19 symptoms across the country are currently hospitalised. Their samples have been sent for testing, a senior health ministry official said.
Responding to a question on whether there could be shortage of drugs in the country as around 70 per cent of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) come from China, Vardhan said he has spoken to the minister in-charge of the Department of Pharmaceuticals and that he has informed that "we are adequately prepared to deal with the situation as of now".
So far, 3,217 samples have been tested out of which five have tested positive for COVID-19 while reports of 23 are awaited. Vardhan also urged people to pose their queries on the helpline numbers made available in case they have symptoms.
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21 hours raid fetch nothing for ED, claims Karnataka Cong MLA’s son
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Congress MLA N A Haris' son Mohammed Haris Nalapad on Tuesday claimed that the 21 hours of search by the ED in his house and other locations did not fetch anything.
The Enforcement Directorate on Monday raided the premises of the two sons of Haris (Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad), Aqeeb Khan, grandson of ex-Union cabinet minister K Rahman Khan and an alleged crypto hacker named Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki in a crypto currency-linked money laundering case.
More than a dozen premises in the city have been covered as part of the action executed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
"My grandfather is 89-year-old. There is not a single bad mark. My father (N A Haris) is a four-time MLA. There is not a single accusation against him. Their only intention was to target myself and my brother. As simple as that," Mohammed Nalapad, who is a former Karnataka Youth Congress president, told reporters.
According to him, the ED officials carried out raids for 21 hours.
"After 21 hours of search, they took away only two mobile phones from our house. They did not get a single paisa. The ED will testify it," the Congress leader said.
Exuding faith in the law, he said he is ready to fight the case in court.
"Me and my father have opted for politics and we are in public life. You can call me whatever you want but I have not done anything wrong," Mohammed Nalapad said.
Regarding his relationship with Sriki, he said he knew him but had no clue what he was doing.
"I have never said that either me or my brother do not know Sriki. But how will I know what he does in his house? Can his crimes be linked to us," he asked.
The money laundering case stems from some Karnataka Police FIRs and chargesheets filed in a 2017 case of hacking of national and international websites, stealing of bitcoins and sale of these 'stolen' virtual digital assets (VDA) through crypto platforms by the alleged hacker Sriki and his associates.
The Nalapad brothers and Aqeeb Khan are alleged to be the beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime generated through this alleged crypto-linked crime, the ED said.
