Coronavirus: Italian couple, Thai national in isolation ward at Kolkata hospital

An Italian couple and a Thai national have been admitted to an isolation ward of a government hospital here with symptoms of novel coronavirus, an official of the health department said on Friday (March 13).

Two more people are also under observation at the isolation ward of the Beliaghata ID Hospital, taking the total number of patients admitted with symptoms of novel coronavirus at the facility to five, he said.

The Italian couple, in their mid 30s, came to India on March 5 and arrived in Kolkata recently, the official said, adding their blood and swab samples have been collected and sent for tests.

Two other foreigners — one from Malaysia and another from Australia — who were visiting ISKCON in Mayapur have been admitted to a medical facility run by the organisation. “These two persons had visited ISKCON, Mayapur for the Gour Poornima festival and they complained of fever following which they have been admitted to the hospital run by ISKCON. We are keeping an eye on the situation,” the official said.

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the Purba Burdwan administration has asked three Italians, who have been in the district to organise a programme on women empowerment, to leave the area.

“We have asked them to leave because they have come from Italy where the coronavirus outbreak is severe. We have also found that they have violated the 14-day self-quarantine period after arriving in India on February 28. We have not allowed them to hold their programme since it involves a mass gathering,” the official of the district administration said.