India found 17 people infected with nCoV in a group of 23 Italian tourists being isolated, bringing the number of cases in this country to 28.

India's Ministry of Health today said it has so far recorded 28 cases of nCoV infection, including 17 Italian citizens. These people belonged to a group of 23 Italian tourists visiting the desert state of western Rajasthan of India last month.

After two members of the group were confirmed to be infected with nCoV, the remaining 21 members were isolated at a special facility in New Delhi since yesterday for testing.

"Of these 21 travelers, 15 are positive for nCoV. We are waiting for the test results of others," a source added. Thus, 17 people in this Italian tourist group were infected with nCoV.

Covid-19 started in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and has appeared in 81 countries and territories, leaving more than 93,000 people infected and more than 3,200 dead. Italy is currently the third largest outbreak in the world, behind only China and South Korea, with more than 2,500 cases of infection and 79 deaths. Many countries are concerned about the transmission of the virus from Italian travelers.

India has stepped up precautions, including banning visitors from Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan, excluding diplomats and officials from international agencies.

"No need to panic. We need to work together, take small but important measures to ensure people protect themselves," Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter yesterday.