Etala calls for social distancing

Strict health screening at RGIA, says minister

Health minister Etala Rajendar on Sunday called for extremely strict health screening measures at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) to check for any possible or potential cases of COVID-19 and identifying such individuals and providing them with the necessary care and treatment. The minister, during a teleconference with senior Health Department officials, instructed for COVID-19 determination tests on the two Coronavirus positive patients currently under treatment at Gandhi Hospital.

The Rapid Response Teams should trace every contact of the two individuals who are now undergoing treatment and ensure everyone one of them is tested, the minister said.

The minister also appealed to the people to practice good hygiene and social distancing methods. Calling this a generally good practice even under normal circumstances, he said anyone with a cold or cough must cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing and they themselves should feel the responsibility of not spreading such conditions to those around them.

He said the Chief Minister announced several closures and other strict conditions only to ensure that any possibility of spread of COVID-19 gets nipped in the bud. The minister also made it clear that people living in and around Vikarabad have no reasons to worry following news of selecting the Haritha Plaza hotel as a site for quarantining people arriving from other countries.

“Nobody who tests positive for the disease will be lodged there. It will be used only as a precautionary quarantine facility,” Mr Rajendar said.

THE MINISTER also appealed to the people to practice good hygiene and social distancing methods. Calling this a generally good practice even under normal circumstances, anyone with a cold or cough must cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing and they themselves should feel the responsibility of not spreading such conditions to those around them.