2 Positive test in preliminary coronavirus test in Amritsar, Punjab

Civil surgeon of the hospital, Dr Prabhdeep Kaur Johal, said the National Institute of Virology (NIV) reports in Pune, where their samples had been sent, were returned positive.

Two men from Punjab, who returned from Wednesday's coronavirus-hit Italy, tested the disease positively in the preliminary test, doctors at Amritsar's Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) said on Saturday.

After showing symptoms of the disease upon their arrival at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport in Amritsar, via Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, from the European country, the two were admitted to the hospital's isolation ward, Civil Surgeon Dr Prabhdeep Kaur Johal of the city said while speaking to HT.

"Their samples were already sent for the second confirmation exam, whose results will be released by Saturday evening or Sunday morning. This is done to check the preliminary findings," said Dr Kaur.

The number of reported coronavirus cases in India is 31 so far, even as the disease continued to spread to new regions of the world and crossed the 100,000 mark of global infections in less than three months since it started spreading from central China late in December.

The death toll from coronavirus outbreak in Italy increased by 49 to 197, the country's authorities had said on Friday.

It was the biggest daily increase in deaths since the contagion was uncovered in Italy two weeks ago.

Currently, the country is reporting more deaths from the virus every day than any other country in the world, and this week the government ordered schools, universities, cinemas and theaters across the country to close down the infections.

The two had returned Wednesday together with another relative from Italy. When they reached Delhi airport, they showed no symptoms of the disease but one of them was diagnosed with fever after arriving at Amritsar airport, local medical officers said.

"The state health department team took the trio to the isolation ward at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) after finding symptoms of novel coronavirus during the airport screening," said Dr Raman Sharma, hospital medical superintendent (MS). Read | TikTok Seeks to remove PIL Demanding Ban on App from India Also Read |Status of PAN-Aadhaar connection, You might have to pay that large penalty after 31 March