"Coronavirus Matter Of Concern," Says Foreign Minister; Cases Climb To 73

Coronavirus outbreak is a "matter of concern", Foreign Minister S Jaishankar told parliament today as the number of cases of the highly contagious disease climbed to 73 across India. "Exceptional situations require exceptional responses," Mr Jaishankar said, adding that "travel at this time is not recommended as it only heightens risks". Stepping up measures to curb the spread, the Union health ministry on Wednesday said that all existing visas -- except diplomatic, official, UN/International organisations, employment and project visas -- will be suspended till April 15 as the World Health Organisation declared coronavirus a "pandemic". More than 4,500 people have been killed, over 1,00,000 people across 100 countries have been infected amid the outbreak.