New Delhi: Deputy chief minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia tweeted on Thursday that in an effort to curb the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the government of Delhi has decided to close all primary schools in the city until March 31.
As a precautionary measure to prevent the possibility of spread of COVID-19 amongst our children, Delhi Government has directed immediate closure of all primary schools (Govt/ aided/ private/MCD/NDMC) till 31/3/20
— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) March 5, 2020
The Rashtrapati Bhavan, in the evening, announced that it would close the 15-acre Mughal Gardens on its premises to the public to prevent added risk of a large number of people gathering in one place.
Continuing the precautionary measures at Rashtrapati Bhavan in view of COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus, the Mughal Gardens will close for public from Saturday, March 7 to avoid any large gathering of people.
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 5, 2020
India-EU summit postponed
The annual summit between India and the European Union scheduled for next week has been postponed, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
“With regard to the proposed India-EU Summit, both sides have agreed that due to health authorities advising against travel between regions, it would be wise to re-schedule the Summit to a later mutually convenient date,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a statement. “The decision has been taken in the spirit of the close cooperation between India and the EU who share the same concerns and commitment to global health and hope that the outbreak is contained soon.”
“Indians need not panic”: WHO
Rodrico Ofrin, the regional emergencies director of the WHO has said that Indians need not panic about the transmission of the new coronavirus, dubbed SARS-CoV-2. He added that people who had tested positive for the virus’s infection in India were the result of them having travelled abroad.
“There is no need to panic, the need of the hour is to get more trained doctors and nurses to treat the infected. We know India has come up with many centres, that’s the way to go about it. Hospitals have isolation wards, those need to be activated as soon as possible,” he said.
He also said that scientists are currently investigating whether a change in the weather, especially towards warmer days could affect the virus’s transmission. “It is a relatively new virus so gathering information on it will take time.”
While he urged the citizens to maintain basic hygiene, he also advised the old and the very young to be cautious since those age groups were more vulnerable to the virus.
Form rapid response teams: Health ministry to states
After India reported 30 positive novel coronavirus cases, its Union health ministry asked states on Thursday to form rapid response teams at the district, block and village levels to respond to cases of local transmission. As of now, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country stands at 30, including 16 Italian tourists. The figure includes the first three cases in the country from Kerala last month. The three patients have since recovered. The newest case pertains to a middle-aged man in Ghaziabad who recently travelled to Iran. The ministry has said it will also engage the private sector to help manage COVID-19 infections.
Five people who came into contact patient quarantined
Five people who came in contact with a coronavirus patient who works at PayTM’s Gurgaon office and lives in West Delhi have been quarantined at their residence, Delhi government health officials said on Thursday. The person tested positive on Wednesday and likely came in contact with 91 people in Gurgaon, an official said, citing his counterpart in the suburban town.
Telangana health minister promotes homeopathic medicine
Telangana health minister Etela Rajender on Thursday inaugurated a prophylactic homeopathy medicine distribution centre the JSPS Government Homeopathic Medical College in Hyderabad. He was seen administering a dose of the Arsenic Album medicine at the college as a dubious precautionary measure against coronavirus.
As The Wire has previously reported, the state’s AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy) department had on Tuesday begun distribution of the dubious prophylactic after one person tested positive for coronavirus.
The Wire has also noted that though the Union AYUSH ministry has recommended homeopathic medicine as a preventive measure for coronavirus, it subsequently clarified that the advisory “neither claimed effective treatment for coronavirus nor suggested any specific drug to combat coronavirus”.
The fourteen Italian tourists who tested positive for coronavirus have been shifted to the Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon from an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) quarantine centre. On Thursday morning, the hospital issued a statement saying the patients have been housed on a separate floor which has been quarantined and will have no contact with the rest of the hospital. A dedicated medical team will look after these patients.
All other hospital operations are operating as normal, and there is no increased risk to patients, visitors or staff, the statement said.
Twenty-one Italian tourists and three Indian tour operators were shifted out from an ITBP quarantine centre here on Wednesday as they were exposed to the novel coronavirus.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday set up an 18-member committee led by the health minister to monitor the coronavirus situation, news agency PTI reported.
Official sources in the health department said the high-level committee has issued directives to all districts of the state asking them to identify suspected patients to check the spread of the virus and ensure effective treatment.
Directives have been issued to be especially vigilant with people arriving from 12 countries, including China, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, and Singapore. According to reports, the samples of 137 passengers were sent for checking to NIV Pune, NCDC Delhi and KGNU Lucknow of which 109 reports received so far are negative. Results for the other sample are awaited.
Union health ministry issues advisory
The Union health ministry, meanwhile, issued an advisory to all schools asking them to avoid any large gathering of students within their premises. India has so far reported 29 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.
The ministry advised that any student or staff with travel history to any COVID-19 affected country or in contact with such persons in the past 28 days should be monitored and quarantined at home for 14 days.
“Ask parents not to send the child back to school till advised so by the treating doctor,” the advisory said.
It also urged for maintaining simple public health measures of hand and respiratory hygiene like washing hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water and using alcohol-based hand sanitiser. Schools have been asked to ensure the availability of soaps and sanitisers.
“Everyone should cover their mouth with a tissue/handkerchief when they cough or sneeze and wash their hands afterwards. Do not touch your eyes, nose and mouth. Everyone should throw away used tissues in a bin and wash their hands after contact with coughing or sneezing,” the advisory says, according to PTI.
The advisory further stated frequently touched surfaces like doorknobs, switches, desktops, hand railing should be disinfected.
It asked people with signs and symptoms (cough, fever, or difficulty in breathing) to contact the dedicated helpline numbers at 011-23978046 or visit a public health facility with a mask or mouth covered.
Dehli sets up a task force
As concerns mounted over spike in coronavirus cases, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday formed a task force and said efforts are on to screen the people who came in contact with the infected Delhi man and 16 Italian tourists.
Isolation wards are being readied in 19 government and six private hospitals across the national capital, while thermal scanning of all passengers landing from abroad is being conducted at the airport.
The man from Delhi, who tested positive on Monday, was among the 29 confirmed cases in the country. These include 16 Italian tourists who had travelled by road and stayed at two hostels here. The latest case was of a Paytm employee working in Gurgaon, Haryana.
A coronavirus testing lab will be set up at the Lady Hardinge Hospital and also at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital if necessary, Kejriwal said.
The Italian tourists were staying in the Surya Hotel, where people who had come in contact with them have been identified and kept in isolation. Around 13-14 rooms of the hotel have been sealed to ensure that they are properly sanitised before being used, Kejriwal said.
Worried over the spread of the virus, three schools in the national capital and adjoining areas announced holidays for students and staff, while two schools advanced their spring break and others sent out advisories to parents. Most of the schools have cancelled planned events and several were planning to sanitise premises.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said it has formed two rapid response teams for the screening of residents who visited coronavirus-affected countries after January 15 and has already screened 56 houses.
This is a developing story and is being updated.