Everyone should take precautions to contain coronavirus, says BJD's Anubhav Mohanty

Biju Janata Dal MP Anubhav Mohanty on Friday said everyone should take precautions and follow the guidelines provided by health authorities to contain the spread of coronavirus.

"All tests regarding coronavirus will continue. Everyone should take care of themselves and stay safe. There is no need to panic, everything will be fine. For everyone's personal safety, each one should follow the health guidelines," Mohanty told ANI.

"Every cinema hall, the swimming pool will be closed and crowd gathering will be avoided in Odisha," he added.

Earlier today, the Odisha government declared COVID-19 as a 'disaster' under the provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005 to adequately empower public officials to combat the spread of coronavirus. An amount of Rs 200 crore has been earmarked to deal with the outbreak, while educational institutions and cinemas have been ordered to remain closed till March 31.

Earlier, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak a 'pandemic'.

Coronavirus, which originated in China's Wuhan city, has so far spread to more than 100 countries infecting over 1,30,000 people. India has confirmed 81 cases of the infection.