Beijing: India has been closely monitoring the evolving situation following the outbreak of coronavirus in China that claimed the lives of 18 people and has infected hundreds.

The Indian Embassy in China is in touch with relevant Chinese authorities in Beijing and Wuhan as well as Indians in Hubei Province.

It has initiated two hotlines for people to get in touch with the embassy with concerns related to Coronavirus-- +8618612083629 and +8618612083629.

"Embassy of India has been receiving queries from Indians in Hubei province as well as their relatives in India in connection with the evolving situation of the coronavirus epidemic in China. In this regard, the Embassy of India is in touch with relevant Chinese authorities in Beijing and Wuhan as well as Indians in Hubei Province, especially in Wuhan. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in China, including advisories issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in this connection," said the embassy in a statement.

The deadly virus has originated from the city of Wuhan in December. Since then, cases have been reported in the United States and several Asian cities other than China, including South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand.

To check further spread of the virus, Chinese authorities on Thursday put Wuhan city under lockdown.

Indian Embassy said that the Chinese authorities have assured all assistance to residents of Wuhan, including food supply.

"At present, it is reported that supermarkets (particularly those that are government-run) and e-commerce services, including food delivery, continue to remain operational in Wuhan," said the embassy.

The authorities in Wuhan city have imposed a complete travel ban on residents, in a bid to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Flights and trains departing from Wuhan will also be suspended.

As the Coronavirus outbreak continues to spread from China to different parts of the world, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that people coming from the Asian country would have to go through a screening process at airports in India mandatorily.