Punjab govt notifies COVID19 as 'epidemic disease'; no positive case reported so far

The Punjab government notified COVID19 as an "epidemic disease" on Friday, setting out the procedures a person suspected to be infected with the virus is required to follow, including a home quarantine for 14 days.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said no positive case of the new coronavirus has been reported in Punjab so far but the blood samples of nine persons found symptomatic to the disease as on Friday have been sent to AIIMS-Delhi.

He also directed officials to ensure no hoarding of drugs and masks is reported.

"The situation is being closely watched to avoid any outbreak," he said.

Sidhu said 71,900 people have been screened for COVID19 across the state so far, including 48,867 people at Amritsar airport, 5,116 at Mohali international airport, 5,401 at Wagah-Attari Border and 12,516 at Dera Baba Nanak checkpost.

As authorities urge people take precautions to avoid contracting the virus, the Punjab Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department said it has postponed the International Punjabi Film Festival, which was slated for this month, due to the threat.

Citing a government notification, Sidhu said all hospitals have been asked to set up "flu corners" under the Punjab Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020.

The hospitals shall record the travel history of a person if he/she has travelled to any country or area where COVID-19 cases have been reported. Additionally, the history of coming in contact with a suspected or confirmed case should be recorded, he said in a statement here.

"In case the person has any such history in last 14 days and the person is asymptomatic then the person must be kept in home quarantine for 14 days from the day of exposure," Sidhu said, adding if the person is symptomatic for COVID19, he/she must be isolated in a hospital as per protocol and will be tested for COVID-19.

He said nobody would use print or electronic media for information on COVID-19 without prior permission of the health and family welfare department to avoid spread of rumour and anyone found indulging in such activity will be punished.

Sidhu said no private laboratory has been authorised to take or test samples for COVID-19 in Punjab.

"Any person with a history of travel in last 14 days to a country or area from where COVID19 has been reported, must report to the nearest government hospital or call toll-free helpline number 104," he said.

Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore held a high-level meeting to review preparedness of the state machinery to respond to coronavirus outbreak in the state.

Badnore appealed to residents to avoid public gatherings in view of the Holi festival. He ordered all government/private organisations to suspend bio-metric attendance system and adopt manual marking of attendance till further orders.

Police department was also directed to stop the usage of breath analyser being used for checking alcohol level as a containment measure in controlling the spread of disease till further orders.

The Chandigarh Administration has taken all measures with regard to containment measures being taken to avoid spread of disease by setting up 24X7 helpline, dedicated ambulance and fully equipped isolation wards in all the three hospitals namely Government Medical Superspeciality Hospitals at Sector 16 and 32 and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal said it has cancelled four rallies slated in March, keeping in mind the safety of people.