The Kerala government has declared a state specific disaster after three people from the state tested positive for the deadly coronavirus, that originated from China's Wuhan.

Kerala's Health Minister KK Shailaja reportedly stated, "The announcement is not meant to scare people. It is to help take proactive steps to intensify the steps to contain the spread of the virus." Like the other two cases of coronavirus detected in Kerala, the third individual also just recently returned from China. "The patient is under treatment at the Kanjangad District Hospital in Kasaragod. The patient's condition is stable. The patient had returned from Wuhan, China," the health minister reportedly stated. Currently, 2000 people in Kerala are under observation at different hospitals, quarantine facilities and also homes.

With over 426 deaths and 20000 cases confirmed across the world so far, the coronavirus outbreak had been declared a "global health emergency" by the World Health Organization (WHO). Hundreds of Indian citizens have been evacuated from the epicentre of coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan, and have been quarantined at Haryana and the national capital.