New Delhi, March 12 (IANS): Terming the government response on coronavirus as "knee jerk", the Congress here on Thursday said it had no idea about the spread and was not prepared for the pandemic.

The government didn't made early preparations as such a large country couldn't be quarantined, said Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala. The government was only filling a form and checking temperatures at the airport, he alleged.

He also pointed to shortage of face-masks and rising prices of hand sanitisers in Delhi.

During the day, the Delhi government announced closure till March 31 of all cinema halls and education institutions, where examinations were not continuing, to check the spread of coronavirus.

Coronavirus that broke out in early December 2019 in China's Wuhan province has now spread to over 100 countries. As on March 9, India had 42 cases, mostly among the visitors to affected countries.

The government says, "It causes minor illness in the majority of patients with symptoms of fever and/or cough. A small proportion of such persons may progress to severe disease with difficulty in breathing."

The Health Ministry has prepared a draft for guidelines for home quarantine, as well as for the use of masks by public. Those taking to home quarantine should stay in a well-ventilated single-room, preferably with an attached or separate toilet, it said.