The Indian Embassy in China has cancelled the Republic Day celebrations on 26th January on the wake of the coronavirus outbreak which has killed 25 people and infecting 800 others. Wuhan and its surrouding area which have become the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak has large number of Indians, mostly students studying medicine. While many of them are believed to have left home for the Chinese New Year holidays, others remained in the city to complete their academic work with the exact number yet to be known.
The virus has caused alarm because of its similarity to (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003. The respiratory virus has claimed 25 lives since emerging from a seafood and animal market in the central city of Wuhan, infected hundreds of other people and been detected as far away as the United States. A total of 12,828 passengers from 60 flights have been screened for coronavirus infection till January 22 but no positive case has been detected in the country so far, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.