175 tested so far, 820 isolation beds ready: UP says taking all steps to tackle coronavirus

Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh on Thursday said 175 people have been tested so far for coronavirus in the state with 157 of them showing no sign of the infection.

Of the remaining 18 tested, six are from Agra and one from Ghaziabad, he said, referring to the seven cases which have tested positive.

The reports of the remaining 11 are yet to be received from National Institute of Virology in Pune, according to the minister.

"The situation is under control. As many as 820 isolation beds have been prepared at various hospitals. Seven medical colleges have been alerted, he told reporters here.

He said the authorities are keeping a close watch on the Agra case, in which six people related in some manner to a Delhi-based man recently tested positive.

The six from Agra are now admitted at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.

"As many as 66 persons have been tracked in Agra in a span of 24 hours, he said, referring to the measures taken after the Delhi man was found to have been infected during a visit to Italy.

Altogether, almost 10 lakh travellers have been examined in the state since the coronavirus scare began.

There is no need to panic, but remain alert. We are taking all required steps," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Bareilly's Chief Medical Officer Vineet Kumar Shukla said 59 people with history of travel to coronavirus-affected areas have been monitored in that district.

So far, five samples have been taken in Bareilly. All tested negative, he said.

In state capital Lucknow, five samples have been taken over the past month and all of them tested negative for coronavirus.

At Aligarh Muslim University, Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor has asked heads of departments to postpone all international conferences and also avoid holding any national conferences.

University festivals and functions have also been called off.

AMU spokesman Shafay Kidwai told PTI that a meeting was called by the vice-chancellor on Thursday to take stock of the situation.

The university, which is a residential institution with 12,000 students, issued an advisory telling them to "avoid travel as far as possible".

Kidwai said an isolation ward has been set up at the on-campus Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital, where those suspected of having contracted the virus will be admitted.