Govt declares COVID-19 an epidemic
Except exam centres, cinema halls, schools & colleges to remain shut till March 31
NEW DELHI/GURUGRAM/ NOIDA: The Delhi government on Thursday declared Coronavirus an epidemic and shut all cinema halls, schools and colleges, except those where exams are on, till March 31.
The government also made it compulsory to disinfect all public places, including government and private offices and shopping malls, every day in the national Capital.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting attended by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, LG Anil Baijal and top government officials.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, the Chief Minister said the Delhi government was making arrangements for quarantine facilities at vacant flats owned by Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) and under-construction hospitals.
“All cinema halls will remain shut till March 31. Also, all schools and colleges, except those where exams are being held, will remain shut till March 31 due to Coronavirus. The government has declared Coronavirus an epidemic,” he said.
He said that his government is fully prepared to deal with COVID-19, asserting that more than 500 beds in hospitals are ready to admit Coronavirus patients if needed.
In the meeting, measures taken so far to tackle Coronavirus were reviewed, Kejriwal said.
“Whatever we are doing is to deal with coronavirus. I hope that all will support us. In the entire world, Coronaviurs is rapidly increasing, but in India, we all have so far been able to contain it. If we are cautious, we can save our country from coronavirus,” he said.
After the meeting, Baijal tweeted, “Reviewed preparedness to contain the COVID 19 in Delhi with Hon’ble CM @Arvindkejriwal, Hon’ble Health Minister @SatyendarJain, CS, Delhi & other officers. Decision taken to close schools, colleges, cinema halls, etc. for sometime to minimise the possibility of spread.”
The number of Coronavirus patients in the country has risen to 74 with 14 fresh cases, including a foreign national. The national capital has so far recorded six cases of Coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government on Thursday requested the Centre to increase the number of testing laboratories for COVID-19 in the national capital as the city reported its sixth case of coronavirus.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain wrote to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan requesting him to increase the number of testing labs for COVID-19 in the city.
In Delhi, the facility of coronavirus sample testing has been made available at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the National Centre for Disease Control.
“Written a letter to @ drharshvardhan requesting to increase lab testing facilities for covid19 in Delhi,” Jain tweeted.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan has closed all public tour visits from Friday as a precautionary measure against the spread of Coronavirus, official spokesman said. A brief statement released by the spokesman said the presidential house will remain closed for exploratory tour visit from Friday till further orders.
“Moreover, the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Complex (RBMC) and the Change of Guard ceremony will not be open to public till further notice,” the spokesman said.
The government of Haryana on Thursday declared COVID-19 an epidemic and announced that it will take measures to prevent the disease from getting spread further in the state.
The Hero Indian Golf Tournament that was to be held in Gurugram from March 19 to 22 has been postponed for a later date. Gurugram with
over 650 suspected cases of the disease have the largest number of suspected cases in the state.
Most of these patients who are working in corporate companies have been advised to be in-home and prevent socialising with others. Moreover, 10 samples have been sent for verification in which four cases have been found to be negative and the results of four are being awaited.
The mother of a 46-yearold man, who tested positive for novel Coronavirus, has also been detected with the virus, making her the sixth patient in the national Capital, officials said on Thursday.
The woman is aged 69 years and is admitted to RML Hospital. Her son has a history of
The youth is son of the middle aged Ghaziabad based businessman who was tested positive with Coronavirus after he returned from Tehran (Iran).
Officials of Ghaziabad health department said that he was staying with his mother in isolation at his home from past ten days after his father was diagnosed with corona virus.
“His swab samples were collected on March 5 and the reports were received on Thursday. He was shifted to MMG hospital where a team of doctors are monitoring him. Samples of several other persons who came into his contact were also taken but none of them were found positive,” said officials.