All intl passengers to be screened
NEW DELHI, Mar 4: The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 29, including 16 Italians touring through Rajasthan, the Government said today, adding all international passengers will now be screened at airports, amid growing concern over the spread of the respiratory infection.
A total of six coronavirus cases including one Italian was reported in the country as on Tuesday.
With Holi less than a week away on March 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said they would not celebrate the festival of colours or hold any Holi Milan gathering. President Ram Nath Kovind’s office also said Rashtrapati Bhavan will not hold any Holi gathering.
Giving a break-up for 28 cases in the country at a news conference, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said one patient is from Delhi, six more, his relatives, are from Agra, one is from Telangana and there are 16 Italians as well as their Indian driver in Rajasthan. The figure includes the first three cases in the country from Kerala last month. The three patients have since recovered.
As the Centre, the Delhi government and several State Governments held a flurry of meetings, e-commerce payment system Paytm said an employee in Gurgaon has tested positive for the Coronavirus. A Health Ministry official also confirmed this coronavirus case.
In a statement in the night, the company said the infected employee had recently returned from a vacation in Italy, one of the worst-hit countries from coronavirus and advised its employees to work from home for the next couple of days.
At his news conference, Vardhan said all international passengers will henceforth be screened at airports. Earlier, travellers from only 12 countries were screened at airports for the contagious disease that has claimed over 3,000 lives and infected more than 90,000 worldwide.
Seventeen Indians abroad have been infected, 16 from a cruise ship in Japan “being treated at onshore medical facilities” and one from the United Arab Emirates, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
“Experts across the world have advised to reduce mass gatherings to avoid the spread of COVID19 Novel Coronavirus. Hence this year, I have decided not to participate in any ‘Holi milan’ programme,” the prime minister tweeted.
The Minister said the Government has adopted a cluster approach, as part of which health authorities will check and sensitise every household within a three kilometre radius of the house of the infected person.
The Government also intends to set up a laboratory in Iran so Indians there can be tested for possible exposure to the virus before being brought back, he said. An estimated 1,200 Indians, mostly students and pilgrims, are in Iran.
An inter-ministerial meeting chaired by P K Mishra, the principal secretary to the prime minister, also decided that all government departments will consult the health ministry before organising conferences and international meets in the country in the coming days.
As Indians all over come to grips with the global epidemic, the health crisis was discussed at a meeting of the Union Cabinet. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said over six lakh people had been screened for coronavirus symptoms in 21 airports.
Briefing reporters, the Information and Broadcasting minister said more than 10 lakh people entering India from the open borders with Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar have also been screened.
While only the national virology institute based in Pune is fit for conducting coronavirus tests, the government has now set up 15 more labs and is in the process of establishing 19 additional centres, he said.
“The Government is proactively engaged in dealing with coronavirus. The Prime Minister is monitoring the situation daily,” Javadekar said.
Several State Governments, including in Rajasthan and Delhi, screened visitors and others for the disease in hotels and guesthouses.
With 16 Italian tourists, who came to Rajasthan by road from Delhi, testing positive, the desert state swung into action to contain the infection.
State Health Minister Raghu Sharma said in the assembly that at least 215 people had come into contact with the group. These included 53 people in Jhunjhunu, 14 each in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, 44 in Bikaner, six in Udaipur and 76 people in Jaipur.
Swab samples of 93 people were taken with 51 suspected patients tested negative whereas reports of 41 others are still pending, he said.
He said Italy has the third largest number of coronavirus cases in the world (more than 2,500) and the tourists should have been screened earlier.
A 69-year-old man was the first one in the group to test positive for the disease. Subsequently, his wife, too, tested positive at Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Hospital, where the couple is now admitted.
The other 14 members of the group and their Indian driver have been quarantined at the ITBP camp in Chhawla.
In Delhi, Kejriwal said efforts are on to check and screen 88 people who came in contact with the Delhi man who tested positive for coronavirus.
Vardhan said the 45-year-old man from Mayur Vihar and six of his relatives from Agra whom he recently visited are being treated at the Safdarjung hospital in the national capital.
Kejriwal said a taskforce headed by him has been formed to tackle the situation emerging from the coronavirus infection.
“We are concerned about the situation but no need to panic,” he said.
A coronavirus testing lab will be set up at the Lady Hardinge Hospital and also at the LNJP Hospital if necessary, Kejriwal said.
As the coronavirus came perilously close to home and dos and don’ts about the disease were circulated, some advocated that the Indian way of greeting, the Namaste, was the way to go. Many people went into panic mode and started stocking up on hand sanitisers and masks.
Many shops, including in the national capital, said stocks of both had run out.
However, Kejriwal said there is no shortage of masks.
In Rajasthan, too, purchase orders have been given for 50,000 personal protective equipment kits and five lakh each of N95 and triple layer masks to deal with the problem, Rajasthan minister Sharma said.
Many schools in the National Capital Region(NCR) said they were fumigating and sanitising their premises.
Three schools in Delhi and its adjoining suburbs announced holidays for students and staff as a precautionary measure to prevent spread of the disease while two schools advanced their spring break and others sent out advisories to parents. (PTI)
Ensure proper quarantine, isolation: HC
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 4: Treating representation of guardian of a student pursuing higher studies at coronavirus hit Tehran as Public Interest Litigation (PIL), Division Bench of High Court comprising Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Rajesh Bindal today directed the administration of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh to ensure proper facilities for isolation and quarantine in the Government and private sector.
In the representation filed by Dr Zahoor Hussain Mir, guardian of a student Heena Sugra Shabnum studying in Tehran University of Medical Sciences, it has been mentioned that as emergency conditions stand created by the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID 19) and Iran has been identified as the second epicenter in the world, steps for evacuation of the Indian nationals including the children belonging to Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are required to be undertaken by Union Government and proper facilities should be created in both the UTs.
“This representation places before us the dire conditions of the Indian students who are studying in Iran and seeking immediate assistance of the authorities. The matter requires intervention of both the Center as well as authorities of both the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh”, the DB observed.
Accordingly, Division Bench arrayed Government of India through Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India through Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Secretary Ministry of Civil Aviation Chief Secretaries of Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh and Commissioner/Secretaries Health and Medical Education Department of UT J&K and UT Ladakh as party respondents and issued notices to them.
“It appears that Secretary Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also formalized a Containment Plan-Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID 19) and the directions stand issued to the State/District to prepare an event specific micro-plan and to implement the containment operations”, the DB said, adding “the respondent are bound to take steps in terms of the mandate of this Containment Plan”.
DB further directed that Union Govt through the Indian Embassy in Tehran, Iran and their offices should ensure availability of the required materials including masks, medication and essential commodities including food etc to all Indians especially the students, who are stated to be stranded there.
“The Union Govt is further directed to identify the protocol to be followed, examine the mode to forthwith implement the same and take steps for evacuation of the Indian students stranded in Iran”, the DB said.
Even administration of J&K and Ladakh UTs have been directed to identify and ensure creation of proper facilities for isolation and quarantine in the Government and private sector, testing laboratories as well as availability of the health care and medication for prevention of the COVID 19 disease and treatment of the persons infected/carrying the infection.
“Immediate steps should be taken for acquisition of and to ensure availability in sufficient numbers and quantity of N-95 (or any other recommended) masks for the public and separation kits for all medical personnel and staff”, the DB directed, adding “both the UTs should take immediate steps for spreading information regarding the nature of the COVID 19 infection; the manner of its spread; preventive measures and steps to be taken if an individual is infected and inform this court with regard to the steps taken in terms of the Containment Plan”.
DB appointed Advocate Monika Kohli as amicus curiae in this matter. “The critical aspects pressed by Dr Zahoor Hussain Mir pertain to the students from Jammu and Kashmir who are stranded in Iran and are stated to be facing shortage of masks, medication and essential commodities due to the shut down imposed by the Iranian authorities”, the DB said, adding “pending evacuation, it is absolutely essential to ensure all preventive measures as well as basic requirements to the Indian students in Iran”.
“Given the nature of the infection, it is essential to not only anticipate the need for identifying the persons with COVID 19 infections/persons who have been exposed to infection/persons who may be possible carriers of the virus but also to ensure appropriate and adequately equipped isolation and quarantine facilities”, the DB said, adding “it is equally, if not more important, to equip, empower as well as protect medical and health experts, nursing and other paramedical and other personnel who would be coming into direct contact with infected persons”.
DB further said that delays in acquisition of any item by Government agencies are proverbial. “The steps cannot wait arrival of the infection in the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh and must be initiated immediately and completed at the earliest”, the DB further said.
Two with symptoms flee from GMC
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 4: Two passengers with travel history to Iran and South Korea and symptoms of coronavirus were quarantined today at Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu but both fled from the hospital tonight.
Official sources told Excelsior that two patients who had recently visited South Korea and Iran and were suffering from cough and cold, which are symptoms of coronavirus, were today shifted to isolation ward of Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu.
They said samples of both the patients had been sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune for testing and if the samples are found positive only then they will be quarantined further in the hospital otherwise they will be discharged with advice of home quarantine.
Sources said till date 12 samples of suspected coronavirus patients, including these two, have been sent for testing at NIV Pune and all were found negative while reports of three are awaited. They said sample of a passenger with travel history to Saudi Arabia was also taken yesterday but as he had no symptoms, he was just advised home quarantine.
However, according to the sources, both the quarantined passengers late in the night fled from the isolation ward after 10-15 relatives of one of the quarantined persons forcefully entered into the ward to take their dear one back home.
When contacted, Principal GMC Jammu, Dr Sunanda Raina said that they had quarantined the 2 suspected patients as a precautionary measure. She said as per the protocol, only the suspected patients with travel history of Wuhan need to be quarantined and the 2 suspected patients quarantined by them were having travel history of Iran and South Korea.
She said there was adequate Hospital security outside the Isolation Ward but 10-15 relatives of one of the quarantined persons forcefully took their patient with them after which other patient, which was a woman, also fled.
Meanwhile, they disclosed that a swine flu case has been reported yesterday in Jammu after around 11 months. “A 75-year-old Kashmiri man, who was outside J&K for some time, has been found positive for swine flu,” sources said, adding, he was already taking required medicine and had no major complications.
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