Kabul, April 19: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has self-isolated himself after at least 20 people at the presidential palace tested positive for coronavirus, reports said on Sunday.

Twenty cases were initially reported, but on Sunday Western media reports said the number had risen to 40, the BBC reported.

There has been no official reaction from the Afghan government or any reports that Gahni himself has contacted the viral infection, it added. New York, Top COVID-19 Hotspot in US, Recording 'Descent' in Virus Infections, Says Governor Andrew Cuomo.

According to the Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Centre, Afghanistan has 993 coronavirus cases and 32 deaths.

There are also fears that the virus could have spread after more than 150,000 Afghans returned from virus-stricken Iran during March, while tens of thousands of others returned from Pakistan, the BBC said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 19, 2020 11:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).