Indonesian tests positive, number of cases in Telangana goes

An Indonesian tested positive for coronavirus here on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases in Telangana to five, even as the state government stepped up measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

The five include a 24-year-old techie who has been discharged from hospital after recovery.

"Even till this moment, no Telangana resident has tested positive for coronavirus on Telangana soil. Those whocame from foreign countries, who came after being infected,they tested positive.

No case has been identified here," state Health minister E Rajender told reporters here.

According to him, the second positive case is a woman who came from Italy and the third a man from Netherlands.

The fourth person, who tested positive, arrived fromScotland and the fifth patient from Indonesia.

Telangana started thermal screening much earlier at the international airport here and more than 66,000 peoplehave been screened, the minister said.

The state government is tracing scores of people who came in contact with the five patients, hesaid.

Six labs have been readied in the state to testfor the virus, he said, adding that the final confirmation on COVID-19 status would also be done in Hyderabad.

Health authorities in Telangana used to get the confirmation on coronavirus cases from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune.

As per the Centre's directives, those coming from China, Iran, Italy, Korea and other countries, where the spread of COVID-19 has been found to be severe, are screened at the airport and people having symptoms for the virus would be sent to the state-run Gandhi hospital.

Those asymptomatic would be taken to the quarantine centresset up at Vikarabad and other places here, he said.

If necessary, quarantine centres would be set up in districts, he said.

So far about 200 have been kept in quarantine centres.

Stressing that those kept under observation at the centres are not virus-affected patients, Rajender said local residents need not fear about the presence of the centres.

People coming from neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka by road, where a high number of cases are seen, are also screened, he said.

The minister said those undergoing treatment for coronavirus are being provided with good food, wi-fi and other facilities.

Police in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district registered a case against three people for allegedly posting fake news in social media that a doctor and his staff, who initially treated a woman who tested positive, also got infected and that they were admitted to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad.

The TelanganaPrisonsand Correctional Services on Tuesday said 'mulaqats' (visitor meetings) ofprisonersat all jails in the state has been cancelled in view of virus threat.

The South Central Railway announced that the platform ticket fare has been increased across all stations on SCR zone to decongest railway stations as precaution against spread of coronavirus.

The revised platform ticket fare at all important major railway stations and all suburban stations would be Rs 50 from the existing Rs 10, while at the small stations it will be Rs 20 until March 31.