Coronavirus: Govt directs 12 ports to put in place screening, quarantine system

As a preventive measure against the Coronavirus outbreak, the Centre on Friday directed all 12 major ports to immediately put in place screening, detection and quarantine system for disembarking seafarers and cruise passengers.

The Union Ministry of Shipping has also issued direction to ports to procure N-95 masks as well as thermal scanners to screen passengers, besides obtaining self-declaration from arriving crews/passengers, it said.

This direction came in the backdrop of the virus -- which first emerged in Wuhan city in China's central Hubei province -- spreading to 25 countries, including India (three confirmed cases have been reported from Kerala).