New Delhi, March 20 (IANS): The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday that contact tracing of Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor had been initiated, after she tested positive for novel coronavirus.

"Contact tracing is our immediate identified protocol. It begins as soon as we get to know of a (coronavirus positive) case. All actions under our containment begin too," said Joint Secretary Health Lav Agarwal at a press conference held by the Health Ministry here.

Agarwal pointed out: "If even a single case was missed, we will be back to the situation we were in two months ago. Therefore, it is very important that we break the chain of transmission."

The officer said India has so far reported 206 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus and four casualties. "State governments have inherent powers to take action against people who bypass the system laid down to stop infectious diseases," said Agarwal.

Meanwhile, Indian Council of Medical Research Chief Epidemiologist RR Gangakhedkar said that people should refrain from taking the names of patients and instead respect the privacy of individuals. "Today, there is one such case; tomorrow, there may be more (high-profile cases). We need to respect the privacy of individuals," said Gangakhedkar.

Singer Kanika Kapoor of 'Baby Doll' fame on Friday said that she had tested positive for novel coronavirus. She had returned from London to Lucknow a few days ago.