GoM to review status of preparations today
NEWDELHI: The Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday held a meeting with the states to review the availability of quarantine facilities and isolation wards, personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, and goggles, and testing kits. The Group of Ministers will also review the status of Covid-19 in the country and measures to contain it on Monday.
The government evacuated 218 people from Italy and 234 from Iran who reached the Chawla quarantine camp and Jaisalmer camp respectively. The passengers have already been tested prior to their departure from Iran and reported to be asymptomatic at present.
Twenty-three persons were confirmed to be positive for Covid-19 on Sunday by the National Institute of Virology, Pune. The largest one-day increase in the number of cases in India, took the total number of cases in the country to 107.
Of these new cases, 17 were from Maharashtra taking the total number of cases in the state to 31, the highest in the country. Three of the cases were from Kerala that now has a total of 22 cases, two from Telangana that has a total of three cases now, and one from Rajasthan that now has four positive cases, including two in foreign nationals.
The minister directed the health department to add more lines to the 24x7 Control Room Helpline -- 011-23978046 – to scale up its capacity. During the meeting Dr Harsh Vardhan also reviewed the measures taken for avoiding non-essential travel and mass gatherings.
“The Union Health Minister discussed the measures to be taken for strengthening capacities of the states, mass awareness among the people for prevention through social distancing, work-from-home. Management of quarantine facilities was discussed in detail at the review meeting,” said a statement from the union health ministry.
A total of 265 travellers from COVID-19 affected countries have been quarantined at Trivandrum, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.