The Haridwar district magistrate C Ravishankar held a meeting of the officers of the district’s incident response team to review the situation in view of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Keeping in mind the danger posed to public health by the epidemic, the DM instructed all departments to make preparations to deal with all kinds of situations.
He sought information from the Chief Medical Officer on the isolation wards and other facilities currently set up in the district to observe and treat people suspected of coronavirus.
The CMO Dr Saroj Naithani said that so far only suspected patients have been found in the district. They are being kept under observation for the necessary period and being sent home after that if they test negative for the virus. The DM directed the CMO to ensure that personnel in these wards and centres are fully trained to handle this situation. Everyone should be kept prepared for duty while treating the suspected patients with sensitivity, promtpness and awareness. Action should be taken against the personnel concerned in case any complaint is made regarding negligence in the treatment of the patients in the hospitals. He also directed that the sanitation workers be trained to discharge their duties while also observing precautions themselves. The DM directed that regular monitoring be done to ascertain the availability of adequate food and clean drinking water along with special care of the patients placed here.
The DM also appealed to the management of religious institutions to raise awareness and assist pilgrims visiting the religious centres in the district.
He gave special instructions to raise awareness among people to maintain social distance through loud speakers at parks, playgrounds and other public places.Senior Superintendent of Police Senthil Avoodai Krishnaraj S, chief development officer Vineet Tomar and all departmental officers were present in the meeting.