India / I will not take part in any Holi event: PM Modi amid coronavirus outbreak

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that he will not participate in any holi milan events in the wake of coronavirus scare. He cited experts’ advice against mass gatherings to contain the spread of disease.

Holi, the festival of colours, will be celebrated across the country next week.

“Experts across the world have advised to reduce mass gatherings to avoid the spread of COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. Hence, this year I have decided not to participate in any Holi Milan programme,” the PM tweeted.

Experts across the world have advised to reduce mass gatherings to avoid the spread of COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. Hence, this year I have decided not to participate in any Holi Milan programme.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 4, 2020

The highly contagious Sars-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets from, and from close contact with, infected persons.

With a long incubation period of 14 days and a high ability to survive in the environment, the virus is far more dangerous than flu viruses such as H1N1, which survive on surfaces for two to eight hours. Infected people spread the disease even when they themselves don’t have symptoms (fever, cough, breathing difficulties), or have a very mild form of the disease, or develop symptoms late in disease progression.

India has stepped up efforts to contain the spread of the disease after two new novel coronavirus cases, one each in Delhi and Hyderabad, were confirmed.

Public awareness, active surveillance for early detection and isolation of cases, rapid identification and daily monitoring of close contacts, and clinical care have helped India isolate and cure three imported cases of Covid-19 in students in Kerala.