The Indian Embassy in China on Friday decided to call off the Republic Day ceremony that was scheduled to be held there on January 26.
The move has been taken after the massive coronavirus outbreak which had infected over 800 people in China so far.
In a tweet, the embassy stated:
‘In view of the evolving situation due to the corona virus outbreak in China as well as the decision of Chinese authorities to cancel public gathering and events, @EOIBeijing has also decided to call off the Republic Day reception scheduled to be held @EOIBeijing on January 26th.’
As per reports, the death toll due to the coronavirus outbreak has now climbed to 25 with confirmed cases rising sharply to 830, mostly in Hubei province.
China has shut down eight cities- Wuhan, Ezhou, Huanggang, Chibi, Qianjiang, Zhijiang, Jingmenand Xianteo – to prevent the virus from spreading further.
A total of 39 Indians are reported to have been trapped in China after the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Many countries are also screening travelers from China to detect symptoms of the coronavirus which includes acute onset of fever, cough, shortness of breath and pneumonia.
The World Health Organization on Thursday refrained from declaring the coronavirus outbreak a global emergency for now.