New Delhi: CM Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that Delhi is fully prepared to deal with Corona virus in the city.
Following the meeting of the State Task Force, CM Arvind Kejriwal announced various measures to control the outbreak of the virus.
He appealed to the people of Delhi not to panic and maintain calm. The Delhi Government is fully equipped to tackle the issue. Addressing a press conference he said, “The Delhi Government is concerned about the situation.
However, there is absolutely no need to panic. The Government is fully prepared to tackle the crises.
We need your support. I request all people of Delhi to cooperate in order to contain the spread of Corona. In the last 10 days, with your cooperation, the Government has been able to contain the spread of Corona Virus.”
He also said he will meet Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday to request a ban on travel to countries with a large number of COVID-19 cases.
CM Arvind Kejriwal said that Delhi has three positive cases and one suspected case of Corona virus. “There is no need to panic, but we need to support each other to contain the virus.
The first patient came in contact with 105 people, the second came in contact with 168 people, and the third patient came in contact with 64 people in the last 14 days.
All these people are being quarantined and their samples have been taken for examination.”
CM Arvind Kejriwal said, “Airport authorities have been directed to conduct thermal screening of the passengers. The Delhi government has deployed 40 doctors for the same.
Those from Delhi are also being monitored consistently for 14 days. Around 1,40,603 passengers have been screened and put under surveillance. Isolation beds have been prepared in 25 Delhi government hospitals.
I want to appeal to the people of Delhi to inform us about those who have traveled abroad recently.
Most of the Coronavirus cases so far have been from those who have traveled back from other countries. Even though there is a ban on people traveling back from these countries, there is still no ban on people traveling to these countries.
I will meet with Harsh Vardhan Ji tomorrow to request the ban on passengers traveling to and fro these countries,”
CM Arvind Kejriwal also appealed to the employers to give all the patients who have been quarantined paid leaves for 14 days.
CM Arvind Kejriwal said, “Until now, sample collection was only done in Safdarjung and RML hospitals.
The Delhi government has made 25 hospitals, 19 Delhi government hospitals, and 6 private hospitals, equipped for sample collection, and we are also making them equipped for the treatment of such patients.
Metro, buses, and hospitals will be disinfected daily. It is Holi tomorrow, we wish you all the best on Holi, but we appeal to all the people to stay away from crowded places.”
Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said that people who do not have any symptoms are not required to give any samples in the hospitals. “Only people who have returned from abroad and are showing symptoms are required to give samples in the hospitals.
Those who have traveled should stay at home for the next 14 days if they are advised to do so,” he added.
The State-level Task Force convened a meeting on tackling Corona virus. Dr. Nutan Mundeja, DGHS Director and Dr. Sujeet Kumar Singh, NCDC Director were also present in the conference, and presented a comprehensive overview of Corona virus and to elucidate how contagious the disease is.
Dr. Nutan Mundeja said, “Corona virus is a respiratory virus and the symptoms of the problem are cough and cold.
The virus infection is contagious, which means a person can spread the virus through coughing and sneezing in the form of droplets, which can be at a short range of 1-1.25 meters. Everyone should cover their mouth and nose while coughing and sneezing so that no droplets can reach other persons’ eyes, nose or mouth. It is advisable to use tissues or cover your face through elbows instead of cloth handkerchief to avoid transmission of the virus. Second, if the droplets do not reach another person, they settle on a surface, which can then be touched by various people. These droplets lose their effects in two days on hard surfaces, and in 7-8 days on soft surfaces.
It is very likely for people to touch these surfaces and then touch their eyes, nose, and mouth, which increases the chances of the virus entering the body.
This is the reason why we are asking people to wash their hands repeatedly, as well as to not touch unwanted surfaces in public areas.
“If a healthy person wears masks consistently for hours, they can get uncomfortable.
They will adjust their masks and touch their faces with their hands which may have touched some unwanted surfaces.
A person who is suffering from respiratory diseases should wear the mask to prevent the spread of the virus.
A healthy person is advised to not wear a mask because by doing that, he/she is pre-disposing themselves to chances of infection. It is a social responsibility of all to advise others to wear masks if they are suffering from respiratory diseases,” she added.
Dr. Sujeet Kumar Singh, Director, NCDC, said, “I would want to elaborate on the disadvantages of wearing masks.
There are very limited cases in the community, all the infected cases are kept in isolation wards and quarantined.
Wearing masks in the public gives a false sense of security to the people, and also builds a false narrative in front of the other people, that the person wearing a mask might be infected.
It is advised to only wear the masks if you are suffering from cold and cough, or if you have returned from outstation and going to get yourself checked for any symptoms that you may notice. In case you notice symptoms, make sure to use private transport instead of public commute.
Everyone wants to purchase an N95 mask nowadays, which is not required. N95 masks are only required for healthcare workers, who are collecting samples for testing in the labs, and doctors who are examining the patients.
Other than that, even nurses do not require these masks. Also, markets have been flooded with people asking for hand sanitizers. Washing hands with regular soap and water for 20 seconds is enough and hand sanitizers are not required.”
The Delhi Government also announced a 24X7 state-distract level control room helpline numbers 011-22307145/ 011-22300012/ 22300036.
