Indian health minister says 150 to be quarantined over coronavirus symptoms

India's Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Friday the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has referred at least 150 passengers to be quarantined after they exhibited symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

Addressing the Indian parliament's upper house, Vardhan said the passengers "identified with symptoms of coronavirus [were] referred to isolation facilities", according to the Press Trust of India (PTI).

The development comes days after the country confirmed its third case of the virus in Kerala.

The Indian minister stressed that current visas were no longer available for any foreigner flying in from China and those travelling to Beijing "henceforth will be quarantined on return", as per News Nation.

India initiated screening of all incoming passengers at 21 airports last month, with universal thermal screening being made obligatory for those arriving from Singapore and Hong Kong too. Vardhan added that the Indian government had set up a team to monitor the coronavirus situation.

Read more: Second case of coronavirus reported in India's Kerala

Earlier this week, on Monday, the country had confirmed its third coronavirus case and all three were said to have travel history from Wuhan, the city at the centre of the virus epidemic. The student was kept in an isolation ward, Kerala Health Minister K. K. Shailaja had said, noting the patient's condition was stable.

The state’s health department has put 1,924 people under observation at their homes and 75 have been admitted to isolation wards in various hospitals. Till now, 104 samples of suspected cases have been sent for tests. Of these, 36 results have been received and three tested positive.

Also read: Coronavirus detected in 30-hour-old baby in China

Last month, the Indian government had said the answer to coronavirus could be found in ancient homeopathy and Ayurveda remedies, releasing an advisory listing herbal oils to be rubbed into the scalp to purportedly ease the symptoms.

—Click here to see Geo.tv's coverage of coronavirus