The Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government on Monday declared the Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) epidemic as a "state calamity", hours after India reported its third confirmed case of coronavirus infection on this day, once again from Kerala. 

Kerala's Health Minister KK Shailaja told news agencies that the decision to declare the epidemic as a "state calamity" was taken under the directions of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has instructed that all necessary steps be taken to ensure that the outbreak is effectively controlled.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the apex committee of the State Disaster Management Authority chaired by Chief Secretary Tom Jose, the state's Health Minister added, hours after the third positive case in the country was confirmed from the state. 

After a test was conducted on all returnees from China, a third person from Kerala's Kasargod tested positive for the coronavirus infection on Monday.

"The patient has tested positive for novel coronavirus and is in isolation in the hospital. The patient is stable and is being closely monitored," Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said on Monday, adding that the patient is now 'stable' and under treatment in Kanjangad District Hospital in Kasaragod. The patient has travel history from China's Wuhan city, which is the epicentre of the outbreak, the Kerala Health Minister added.

The Health Ministry on Monday updated its travel advisory, which was issued on Sunday, and asked people to refrain from travelling to China in view of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in its Hubei province (where Wuhan city is situated) and said travellers on return from the neighbouring country could be quarantined.

As many as 130 samples have been tested of which 128 have been found to be negative so far.

Earlier, India had until now reported two positive cases of nCoV infection, both from Kerala. While the second patient is being studied in an isolation ward in Alappuzha medical college, the state government is still waiting for results from the Pune Virology Institute. The first case too had arisen from Kerala, a few days ago.

Now the third instance of infection has also been confirmed from Kerala. However, a medical bulletin issued by the government said the health status of all the three students, who tested positive for the virus, was "satisfactory".

The number of deaths from the coronavirus in China has risen to 361 as of Sunday (February 2), up 57 from the previous day, the National Health Commission said at a news conference on Monday (February 3). The number of new confirmed infections in China rose by 2,829, bringing the total to 17,205.

At least another 171 cases have been reported in more than two dozen other countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Britain.

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern but said global trade and travel restrictions are not needed.

The virus is thought to have emerged late last year in a Wuhan market illegally trading wildlife and later spread to the rest of the world. It can cause pneumonia and spreads between people in droplets from coughs and sneezes.

China has imposed quarantine and travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel for the Lunar New Year.