Airport to schools, Delhi prepares to deal with coronavirus cases

Read| Explained: How to handle the coronavirus (COVID-19) scare

The government also asked civic bodies to screen tourists who are staying in hotels and guesthouses. “All the three MCDs and NDMC are contacting hotels and guesthouses to reach passengers coming in from abroad and screening them. All passengers are kept under observation for any possible symptoms of the virus, since the virus takes 14 days to show signs or symptoms. Of the 5,769 passengers from Delhi, 4,445 passengers have not shown any symptoms yet. We are trying to contact the remaining 1,324 passengers. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital are the two nodal hospitals for now. We have developed the capacity to handle an influx of patients with 19 Delhi government hospitals and six private hospitals, wherein adequate arrangements were also made during the swine flu outbreak. Isolation beds and wards are being created to provide adequate treatment,” he said.

At the airport, thermal scanning of passengers is being done to check for symptoms. Kejriwal said over 1.16 lakh patients were screened at the airport till Wednesday. In Delhi, tests for Covid-19 are being conducted at AIIMS and the NCDC laboratory, both of which can test 250 samples a day. Another lab will also be opened at Lady Hardinge Medical College.

Kejriwal further said neither he nor his cabinet and MLAs will celebrate Holi on March 10. “There are families which are in distress due to the recent riots in the Northeastern part of Delhi, and the following spread of coronavirus. Cabinet ministers and our MLAs will not celebrate Holi this year.” he said.

Meanwhile, the North, East and South MCDs Wednesday instructed schools under them to do away with morning assemblies as a preventive measure against coronavirus. “It is a measure to avoid mass gatherings. Four other MCD programmes relating to schools, including a science fair on Thursday, have been called off,” said an SDMC official.

The CBSE also announced that students currently giving their board exams will be allowed to carry face masks and hand sanitisers inside their exam centres.