13 tested for Covid-19 in Ludhiana so far, no positives

The DC said two suspected cases were reported in the last 24 hours, however their reports too came out to be negative

Deputy commissioner Pradeep Kumar Agrawal on Thursday said the reports of all 13 people suspected of having contracted novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the district had come out to be negative.

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The DC said two suspected cases were reported in the last 24 hours, however their reports too came out to be negative. Agrawal said the district administration was in control of the situation and isolation wards with all requisite facilities had been setup in several private and government hospitals in the district.

As a precautionary measure, all sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs), tehsildars and other senior officials have been asked to scout for suitable places for setting up quarantine facilities. The teams will search different parts of the district and submit their reports on March 20 evening, the DC said.

In prisons, ‘mulaqat’ or meeting between inmates and their family members have been suspended till March 31, the DC said, adding exceptions will be made in urgent cases. The meeting will take place under the supervision of the jail superintendent. The family members will be sanitised before they are allowed to meet the inmates.

Hand sanitisers were distributed among government officers, whose offices receive a high footfall. The DC said hand sanitisers will be offered to everybody entering the government office.

The DC also appealed Ludhiana residents to ensure all guidelines and instructions issued by the Punjab government and health department were being followed.

As per the government advisory, one should refrain from shaking hands or hugging each other and spitting in open; any person who develops a fever should avoid going out in public and one should keep at least 1 metre distance from a person with a cough or fever. A person with a cough or fever should keep his mouth covered with a mask or handkerchief and should immediately report to the government hospital nearest to them. Similarly, if any person has travelled to China or Nepal in the last 14 days, he should be quarantined for 14 days in his house and should not visit crowded places.

As per the advisory, healthy people, who do not have a cough or fever, need not use a mask.

The helpline number for state is 104 and for Ludhiana district is 0161-2444193. Residents can also contact Dr Divjot Singh at 90412-74030 or Dr Ramesh Kumar at 98557-16180.