In view of the threat posed by the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the health department of Uttarakhand has set up quarantine facilities in six districts of Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Champawat and Pithoragarh. In these centres 801 people can be quarantined at a time.
Addressing media persons here on Friday, chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that the state government is fully prepared to combat the disease. He said that no patient of the disease has so far been reported from the state and 175 suspected patients are being kept under observation at present.
In response to a question on his government’s decision to hold programmes in all 70 assembly constituencies to celebrate three years in office, the CM said things are regularly being monitored.
On upcoming Char Dham Yatra for which lakhs of pilgrims arrive in the state, the CM said that there is time left in commencement of Yatra and the threat of disease would probably reduce by the time the Yatra starts.
Rawat informed that samples of 17 suspected patients have been sent for testing for COVID-19 and out of them 12 patients (ten from Dehradun and two from Haridwar) were found negative for the disease. Reports of five suspected patients are awaited.
Asking the people not to get panicky due to he disease, the CM said that isolation facility for suspected patients, masks and medicines are available in sufficient numbers. He said the health workers have been trained and all those coming from Nepal are being screened.
“The heath workers have so far screened 22,968 people at check points of Banbasa, Tanakpur, Dharchula, Baluakot, Jauljivi, Jhulaghat, Dyura and Khatima on Indo -Nepal border. Similarly teams of health department are screening passengers at all the airports. A total of 41,508 passengers have so far been screened at airports,’’ he said. The CM added that 351 out of 526 persons who had travelled to the affected countries have completed the mandatory 28 days of observation.
He said that isolation ward for the suspected patients of the disease have been set up at all the major hospitals and medical colleges and 337 beds have been kept in reserve for the patients in these hospitals.
The CM added that the health department has adequate stocks of different kind of masks, disinfectants and other things required to combat the disease.The health department teams are undertaking awareness campaigns and advisory to the hotels regarding the foreign guests have been issued. The CM accepted that the threat of the disease has affected the tourism industry but the first priority of the government is to ensure safety of people from the disease.
He said that rapid response teams have been constituted at district level and the Asha workers and the ANMs are engaged in awareness campaigns at block and village level. A helpline number 104 has been released regarding information for the disease. The samples of the suspected patients are being collected at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh, Doon medical college hospital and Haldwani medical college hospital.