Corona review: Ministers’ group tells DCS not to allow gatherings
CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR:THE group of ministers (GOM) formed by the Punjab government to monitor coronavirus situation in the state reviewed the preparations on Friday and ordered purchase of 1,000 more ‘personal protection kits’ for the doctors and other medical staff.
The GOM also directed all deputy commissioners not to grant permission to events involving big gatherings.
The group of ministers, comprising medical education minister OP Soni, rural development minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu and food & civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, was told by principal secretary, health and family welfare, Anurag Aggarwal, that at present only one case has been confirmed in the state. He said till date 14 suspected cases have been reported in state.
Aggarwal said passengers coming from high-risk countries will be quarantined for 14 days, while those coming from lowrisk countries will need to submit an undertaking that he/she will remain in home isolation for 14 days.
Principal secretary (medical education) DK Tiwari said special training sessions have been conducted for the staff at all the three government-run medical colleges.
He said the central government has given the nod to conduct the preliminary test for coronavirus at medical colleges in Amritsar and Patiala, and PGIMER, Chandigarh.
STATE’S LONE PATIENT RECOVERING: DOCS
The state’s lone confirmed coronavirus patient, a 44-year-old man from Hoshiarpur, admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here is responding well to the treatment, the hospital authorities said. On Wednesday, five suspected patients were discharged from the isolation ward of the hospital after their medical report from National Institute of Virology, Pune, declared them ‘negative’ for the virus.
“The only positive patient is kept in isolation and a team of doctors is giving him treatment. After 14 days, we will again send his blood and throat swab samples to NIV Pune to check if he needs more treatment or can be discharged,” said Dr Raman Sharma, medical superintendent of GNDH.