11 patients found in Maharashtra do not have acute symptoms  : Chief Minister Thackeray

Mumbai, March 12, 2020 : “The number of patients in Maharashtra has raised to 11 and the symptoms seen in all of them are mild. So, instead of getting panicked, people should take extra precautions. As per the instructions of the union government, all the travellers returning from the seven nations including China, Iran, Italy, South Korea, France, Spain and Germany are quarantined. More awareness should be created among the people for controlling crowd at tourist spots, pilgrimage sites and other public programs. The fairs and government programs should all be cancelled. People arriving from the foreign nations should go for ‘Home isolation’ for 14 days. The cities with international airports should make available the facilities of Quarantine and isolation wards with immediate effect. The district magistrate should also see to it that adequate quantity of masks are made available for officers and employees engage in giving Medical Services. The tour operators in all cities should hand over the list of such people to the administration people who have travelled abroad and those who are presently outside the nation,” these instructions were given by chief minister Mr Uddhav Thackeray to the district administration. The chief minister today took a meeting at Mantralaya for reviewing the state wide situation on the backdrop of Corona. He interacted with divisional commissioners, district magistrates, commissioners of the Municipal corporations, chief executive officer of Zilla Parishads and the district civil surgeons through video conferencing. Health minister Mr Rajesh Tope, medical education minister Amit Deshmukh, food and drugs administration Minister Dr. Rajendra Shingane, chief secretary Ajoy Mehta were present on the occasion.Origin of Corona virus is not localChief Minister Mr Thackeray said that the patients of Corona are found in Maharashtra but the symptoms are not acute so if the intensity of virus has been lessened, it is satisfactory. He said that the origin of this virus is not local. They had spread through the people who visited foreign lands. The screening and checking in the entire state had gained momentum since yesterday and the embassies of various nations are also contacted for discussion.People should not queue for screeningThe tour operators of major cities should give the information of all tourists to the administration, who visited foreign. He said that the travellers who are going to return to India, should keep themselves isolated and stay in isolation for 15 days and should not get mixed up with the family or society. He said that such instructions should be given to all.Chief Minister Mr Thackeray said that people should not queue for screening only because the patients of Corona are found in the state. He asked them to take more precautions without getting panicked. Mr Thackeray said that a meeting is organized every two hours for taking the stock of the situation. He also said that the permission for starting private screening centers requires the green signal from union government and as such, the private screening laboratories and centers in the state can be given permission only after the union gives its nod. He said that awareness should be brought among the people for staying away from the tourist spots, religious places and other social programs. He said that the crisis of Corona is knocking the door and it is our responsibility to not let it enter our houses.Quarantine for travellers of seven nationsChief secretary Mr Ajoy Mehta directed the administration to ask all those passengers who have returned from the seven nations to stay in ‘Home isolation’. these nations include China, Iran, Italy, South Korea, France, Spain and Germany. He directed that all those who returned after 15 February in the state, should be strictly asked to go for 15 days isolation. He said that as per the instructions of the central government, people arriving from the seven nations are to be hundred percent quarantined. He also asked the municipal commissioner of Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur to brief on how the quarantine and isolation facilities are made available in their cities. The chief secretary also asked the civic chiefs of other municipal corporations to give the information to the government.Cancel all government programsVarious fairs, community programs, campaigns, government programs should all be cancelled. People should be imparted training for precaution and in turn, asked to educate others. Emphasis should be given on identifying the Corona positive patients and keeping them in isolation. The tour operating companies in the cities should not book the tourists for at least next few days. The toilets, public places should be kept neat and clean. Action against all those who will not follow these instructions will be taken, he warned.SOP be prepared for each villageThe chief secretary directed that if any positive patient is found, the information about his travelling history and the information of people who came in contact with such patients should be gathered. He said that for this, special teams should be formed. He said that SOP should be prepared for every village, adding that all religious programs, fairs, community functions should be cancelled for at least next 15 to 20 days. He said that various organizations and institutions should be requested in this regard.Erect control room in every districtPrincipal secretary of health department Dr Pradeep Vyas speaking on the occasion said that according to the instructions given by the union government, the travellers coming to India from the seven nations, from tomorrow, will have to be quarantined and the district magistrates should make arrangements for this. He further said that all those who are returning from foreign nations and those who came in contact with people found Corona positive, will be screened. He also said that the co-habitats will also have to undergo tests. He said that such people should themselves go for home isolation. All the district magistrate should start control rooms in their districts. Common people do not need to go for test. The patients who are found positive with symptoms of Corona, should be quarantined, he said.He said that the quarantine facility should be at a distance from the hospital whereas the isolated ward facilities should be inside the hospital. Meanwhile, the divisional commissioners of Aurangabad, Nashik, Amravati, Nagpur, Konkan and Pune divisions gave information about the precautionary measures taken at the backdrop of Corona and the reservation facility for Quarantine and isolated wards.