Chinese tourist in Rameswaram asked to leave the country immediately

Rameswaram: With the coronavirus scare across the world, a Chinese national who was staying at a local lodge in Rameswaram was asked to leave the country immediately on Saturday. The 31-year-old Chinese national, who arrived in Rameswaram on Saturday morning created furore in the neighbourhood.

“Officials from the Public Health, Revenue and Police departments were deployed to investigate him, but he was found without any symptoms. He had arrived in India on January 28 through Kolkata and has been travelling to different parts of the country,” said district collector K Veera Raghava Rao.

A senior official said that though there were no symptoms, the foreigner was advised to leave or stay in quarantine for two weeks. After a preliminary investigation in Rameswaram, he drove down to Madurai and later flew to Chennai. From there, he will be flying back to China, the source added.

The collector said that there was no need for panic in Rameswaram as the District Public Health department is monitoring all persons, who have recently visited China. “An isolation ward at the Government Hospital is in place just in case,” he said.