To date, 193 travellers have returned to Maharashtra from nCoV-affected areas.

One 26-year-old man and a couple, who returned to Pune after travelling to coronavirus-affected Thailand and Shanghai, were isolated and kept under observation at Naidu hospital on Saturday, after they reported symptoms such as cold, cough and fever.

Ramchandra Hankare, chief medical officer of the Pune Municipal Corporation, said the 26-year-old had returned from Thailand on February 9, while the couple — a 27-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man — had returned from Shanghai on February 2. Their throat swabs will be sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for tests.

Till February 15, a total of 34,283 travellers have been screened from 163 flights at the Mumbai international airport. Field surveillance is also actively on across the state in search of people who have recently travelled to areas affected by the novel coronavirus (nCoV).

To date, 193 travellers have returned to Maharashtra from nCoV-affected areas. From January 18 to date, 60 symptomatic travellers have been isolated in identified facilities. Till Saturday, 50 samples from the state have tested negative, as per reports from the NIV.

On Saturday, three new travellers were isolated at Naidu hospital in Pune, Kasturba hospital in Mumbai and PVP Hospital in Sangli each. Besides them, nine travellers, including a crew member from a Philippines cruise, M V Boudica, were referred to Kasturba hospital by the port health officer of Mumbai Port. The crew member had developed mild respiratory symptoms.

This cruise carries 824 people, including 324 crew members. Nobody from the ship is an Indian citizen and all except the crew member have shown no sign of sickness.

At present, 11 travellers are still admitted, three each in Pune and Sangli and five in Mumbai, said state surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate.