KEJRIWAL FORMS STATE LEVEL TASK FORCE TO PREVENT VIRUS
NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the health department of the Delhi government has characterised measures to control the outbreak of the Coronavirus in Delhi. Several health department officials, as well as airport and MCD authorities, have been directed to ensure that all measures such as surveillance and screening are done to prevent the outbreak of the virus.
The CM said: "A 'State Level Task Force' has been constituted for the same and I, as well as the Chairman of the task force, am personally monitoring the team. Members of all the important departments, state officials, and police officials have been included in the task force. We have to work in an emergency mode to prevent the outbreak of the virus.”
Kejriwal said, “We have one confirmed case in Delhi till now, and the patient has been admitted to Safdarjung Hospital. He is a resident of Mayur Vihar, who had traveled first from Italy to Budapest and then from Vienna to Delhi. We have identified 88 people who he came in contact with after coming back to India. We are trying to conduct screening on all those 88 identified people."
Kejriwal said: "The passengers who had come from Italy were staying in Surya hotel, but we have also traced and identified the people who had come in contact with those passengers and they have been kept in isolation. Around 13-14 rooms of the hotel have been sealed, to ensure that the rooms are properly sanitised before putting into use. The same steps have been taken in the Grand Hotel, where they stayed afterwards. "
Scanning of all passengers
Until now, 1,16,579 patients have been screened at the airport. "All the three MCDS, and the NDMC, are contacting the hotels to reach all the passengers coming in from abroad and conduct screening on them. All the passengers are kept under observation for any possible symptoms of the virus since the virus takes 14 days to show signs or symptoms. 5,769 passengers who belonged to Delhi have landed, out of which 4,445 passengers have not shown any signs or symptoms until now, and we are trying to establish contact with the remaining 1,324 passengers. We have developed the capacity to handle an influx of patients in around 19 Delhi Government hospitals, and six private hospitals. Isolation beds and isolation wards are being created to provide adequate treatment," said the CM.
He added that two labs, one in AIIMS and the other in NCDC have also been made operational, with a capacity to test 250 samples daily. Kejriwal said that school children also need to be made aware of Coronavirus. A meeting was also held with the education department where the need to spread awareness regarding Coronavirus was also necessitated.
The CM said, "There are families which are in distress due to the recent riots in the north-eastern part of Delhi, and the following spread of Coronavirus. The cabinet ministers as well our MLAS will also not celebrate Holi this year."
Meanwhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet said that experts across the world have advised to reduce mass gatherings to avoid the spread of Coronavirus. Hence, this year the PM will not participate in any Holi Milan programme.