V Muraleedharan said Indian nurses were quarantined at Al-Hayat Hospital in Saudi Arabia's Khamis Mushait city and after testing, one was found to be infected with the virus.
The government on Thursday said one Indian nurse working in Saudi Arabia was found infected by novel coronavirus that has so far claimed 17 lives in China.
Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said Indian nurses were quarantined at Al-Hayat Hospital in Saudi Arabia's Khamis Mushait city and after testing, one was found to be infected with the virus.
"Spoke to @CGIJeddah on Indian nurses quarantined at Al-Hayat Hospital, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia due to Corona virus threat. They are in touch with hospital management and Saudi foreign Ministry. Have asked our Consulate to provide all possible support," Muraleedharan said.
"Update from @CGIJeddah: About 100 Indian nurses mostly from Kerala working at Al-Hayat hospital have been tested and none except one nurse was found infected by Corona virus. Affected nurse is being treated at Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well," the junior foreign minister tweeted two hours later.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, requesting him to speak with Saudi Arabian authorities to ensure proper treatment for nurses most of whom are from Kerala.
"Corona outbreak among nurses in Azir Aba Al Hayat hospital in Saudi Arabia should be considered seriously and necessary steps must be taken," Vijayan said.
This is the first reported case of 2019-nCoV from Saudia Arabia. Over 600 cases of novel coronavirus has been reported so far with most of them from China, including 17 deaths.
Cases have also been reported from Thailand, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the US.
Several countries have put in place measures to screen fliers coming in from China.
In India, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has directed thermal screening of passengers arriving from China including Hong Kong at the airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin.
The Chinese government on Thursday put on lockdown two cities - Wuhan and Huanggang - in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. Both cities fall under Central China's Hubei province with Wuhan being the ground zero of 2019-nCoV.
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