COVID-19: Tamil Nadu reports three fresh cases, total rises to 6

Three foreign nationals who were under observation have tested positive for coronavirus on Friday (March 20), taking the total number of cases to six in Tamil Nadu, State Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar said.

Update: 2020-03-21 12:46 GMT
A student who returned from abroad being screened at the Anna International Airport in Chennai. Photo: PTI

Increasing the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, three foreign nationals who were under observation have tested positive for coronavirus on Friday (March 20), taking the total number of cases to six in Tamil Nadu, State Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar said.

While two are from Thailand, the other is from New Zealand, the minister said.

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“Three positive cases confirmed, 2 Thai nationals and one from New Zealand. Patients are undergoing treatment in isolation,” he tweeted.

The Health minister said all the six positive cases reported were “imported cases from different regions with travel history and not community transmitted.”

“New cases were already quarantined and in our radar,” he said.

Screening has been stepped up at all ports of arrival including Railways besides domestic arrivals at the airport and inter-state borders.

According to the Health department on March 7, the state reported its first confirmed COVID-19 case, a 45-year-old engineer who returned from Oman.

Related news: COVID scene: Tamil Nadu seals borders; will allow only essential travel

However, he has recovered and was discharged from the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai.

The other two confirmed cases are a 20-year-old man from New Delhi and a student from Dublin.

In another tweet, the minister informed about a meeting with editors and chief reporters of Telemedia to sensitise news realted to COVID-19.

“Meeting convened with Editors/Chief Reporters of Telemedia @ 5:30 PM at DMS Campus,Chennai to sensitise them on #Covid_19 . Support from media to reach out to public with awareness/prevention messages will refrain from panic and speculations.” he tweeted.

Related news: Centre appoints Rajendra Ratnoo as special officer for TN to tackle COVID-19

(With inputs from agencies)

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