U.S. man, 79, becomes the first coronavirus case in Bhutan after flying in from India as the tiny kingdom bans ALL tourist arrivals for two weeks
- He was admitted to hospital on March 5 with a fever, where he tested positive
- The patient was touring India and had started his travel from Washington DC
- The government will impose two weeks restriction on all incoming tourists
An American man has become the first coronavirus case in Bhutan after flying in from India -leading the tiny kingdom to ban all tourist arrivals for two weeks.
The Himalayan country, which is heavily reliant on tourism, said a 79-year-old tourist who entered on a flight from India on March 2 had tested positive for the virus.
He was admitted to hospital on March 5 with a fever, where he tested positive for COVID-19, the office of Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said in a Facebook post.
A US man has become the first coronavirus case in Bhutan after flying in from India – as the tiny kingdom bans all tourist arrivals for two weeks. Pictured: people wearing masks in Delhi, India
‘The government will impose two weeks restriction on all incoming tourists with immediate effect,’ the health ministry said in a statement.
‘This is to enable rigorous monitoring, source assessment of infection and mitigate the situation.’
The government also announced the closure of several schools and the postponement of international conferences and seminars for two weeks.
The ministry said the patient, who had entered India on February 21, had been put in quarantine in hospital in the capital of Bhutan, Thimpu.
He had entered the country from Paro International Airport, after a Drukair flight from Guwahati, India on March 2.
The Himalayan country, which is heavily reliant on tourism, said a 79-year-old American tourist who entered on a flight from India on March 2 had tested positive for the virus. Pictured: people wearing masks at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India
The patient was touring India from February 21 to March 1 and had started his travel from Washington DC on February 18.
He was travelling with his partner, aged 59. There were 10 passengers on board, of which eight others were Indian nationals.
India’s total number of confirmed cases has risen to 31, after a person from New Delhi with a history of travel from Thailand and Malaysia tested positive, its health ministry said.
Students go to school in an auto-rickshaw, wearing protective masks, in Guwahati, India. India’s total number of confirmed cases has risen to 31
Coronavirus, which can cause respiratory illness that can lead to pneumonia, emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.
Globally, there have been more than 98,000 cases and more than 3,300 deaths, according to a Reuters tally. Most of the cases and deaths have been in China but the virus is now spreading in numerous countries.