IT News
Mumbai, March 9
Number of passengers tested positive for coronavirus reached up to 40, when five of a family (three returned from Italy and their two relatives) from Pathnamthitta district in Kerala tested positive on Saturday night..
The three had returned from Italy on February 29 but had not declared themselves. As such they were not screened. All the five have been isolated in Pathnamathitta general hospital and are under observation. Earlier, India’s first three positive patients, medical students from Wuhan (China), from Kerala, have been treated and discharged from hospitals.
The latest update of positive cases is: 40 (3 medical students from Kerala, returned from Wuhan, fully recovered and discharged), 15 patients receiving treatment at ITBP health facility, Chhawala, New Delhi, 10 patients receiving treatment in New Delhi (Safdarjung and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital), 01 patient receiving treatment at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad (Telangana), 02 patients (Italian tourists) are receiving treatment at Sawai Mansingh Hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan, 05 patients are receiving treatment at Pathnamathitta general hospital, Kerala, 02 patients including a Forty five year old man (from Kancheepuram) admitted to hospital in Tamil Nadu and one more passenger tested positive on 7 March and 02 patients from Ladakh (returned from Iran) receiving treatment at Leh District Hospital.
In the meanwhile Bhutan banned the entry of tourists for two weeks when a 79-year-old American who reached Bhutan by air from India on March 2 tested positive for the virus. The Ladakh ministry said the patient, who had entered India on Feb. 21, had been put in quarantine in hospital in the capital, Thimpu
In a related development Lok Sabha has issued a safety advisory to the Members of Parliament in view of the novel coronavirus outbreak in India. The primer on preventive measures was issued on March 6, 2020 and comprised hygiene basics such as hand and respiratory hygiene and avoiding visitors for unofficial reasons strictly. MPs and visitors were also told to avoid large gatherings within the premises of the Parliament completely. These directives were circulated to the offices of all those parties who had their offices in the precincts of Parliament.
Movement of visitors and their entry to Parliament will also be restricted due to coronavirus outbreak when it resumes after Holi on March 11. From the next week, MPs won’t be able to meet visitors inside the Parliament. All those who are coming to meet the MPs at the reception will be allowed to stay for an hour and the restriction will be adhered to in word and practice, according to news agency ANI. The Lower House also issued a notice to keep visitors away from party offices in the Parliament premises.
The visitor passes have been colour coded for this very specific purpose. Visitors who want to witness the Parliament proceedings will get white colour passes and they aren’t allowed to visit any other areas of the parliament. Casual visitors have a blue pass. This pass will be valid only for the outer precincts and non-restricted areas of the Parliament where all the party offices are located.
Globally, there have been more than 98,000 cases and more than 3,300 deaths. Most of the cases and deaths have been in China but the virus is now spreading in numerous countries.
