AI advises cockpit, crew members to wear N95 masks in view of coronavirus outbreak

In the wake of the outbreak of coronavirus, Air India (AI) has advised all its cockpit and cabin crew members, who travel to South East Asian cities, to wear N95 masks, an airline spokesperson said on Wednesday.

A total of 33,552 passengers arriving in India from China in 155 flights have been screened at different airports till Monday.

The virus for which there is no effective vaccine was reported on January 16 in Japan, the first case outside China and its territories.

The toll from novel coronavirus in China has reached 130.

Coronaviruses (nCoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death.