Covid-19: 81 of 83 in Maharashtra isolation wards test negative

The Maharashtra government on Sunday said that 81 out of 83 people admitted in isolation wards for suspected exposure to the novel coronavirus have tested negative.

While 80 of them have been discharged, three others continue to be hospitalised.

The outbreak of the virus, officially called Covid-19, was first detected in Wuhan in China in December and has since affected thousands of people across the globe.

"Out of the 83 persons, 81 have tested negative for the coronavirus infection. Of these 80 have been discharged.

Three persons are under observation in Mumbai's Kasturba Hospital," a state health department official said on Sunday.

People coming from notified nations including China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Nepal, Indonesia and Vietnam are being monitored as part of the protocol in place to tackle the outbreak, he added.

Since the outbreak of the virus in China and its spread across the globe through travellers, the Maharashtra government, acting on the guidelines issued by the Centre, has been placing people in isolation wards and screening those arriving at the Mumbai international airport from places affected by the outbreak.

Since January 18, a total of 48,295 passengers have been screen at Mumbai airport.

Officials said a 14-day follow-up of 207 of 291 people who arrived in the state from covid-19 affected areas had been completed.