BJP leader urges citizens to adopt 'surya namaskar' to help prevent coronavirus

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, a BJP leader from Goa has suggested that people should adopt the Indian 'Namaskar' style of greeting each other with folded hands. Former Panaji MLA Siddharth Kunkolienkar also said it is high time that people take adequate precautions to check the spread of the potentially deadly virus.

"As cases detected for nCovid19 increase, albeit in single digit, it's high time we take adequate precautions and adopt #Indian style of greeting with #Namaskar," Kunkolienkar, who was a close aide of former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, tweeted on Wednesday. Six people in India have so far been confirmed to be infected by coronavirus, including an Italian couple in Rajasthan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged people not to panic, as the government banned visitors from Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan which have been hit by the coronavirus. Two private schools in Noida were shut for next few days after father of one of their students tested positive, while several people, including his family members, were quarantined or kept in isolation as authorities stepped up prevention efforts.

On February 4, India cancelled the existing visas for Chinese nationals and foreigners who had visited the neighbouring country in the preceding two-week period, following the outbreak of the coronavirus which has now spread to over 60 countries and claimed over 3,100 lives. Over 90,000 have been infected.