Coronavirus outbreak: Amritsar’s rehab centre vacated to quarantine travellers

A batch of passengers will be arriving at Amritsar airport on intervening night of Friday and Saturday

Swami Vivekananda Drug De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centre in Amritsar on Friday was vacated and converted into an isolation ward to quarantine passengers, who will expectedly reach Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport on intervening night of Friday and Saturday, from coronavirus-affected countries. Those with the history of travelling to seven coronavirus-hit countries—China, Iran, Italy, Korea, France, Germany and Spain— will be quarantined for 14 days at the de-addiction centre even if they do not have symptoms of the virus.

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A team of doctors, led by nodal officer for the disease, Dr Madan Mohan, are screening every visitor, who is arriving at the Amritsar airport.

“All foreign visitors, irrespective of their travel history to virus affected countries, will be quarantined in the rehab centre. If any foreign visitor will be found suffering from the symptoms of COVID-19, he/she will be kept in isolation ward of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH), here. The visitors from other countries will be isolated if found with the symptoms,” said civil surgeon Dr Prabhdeep Kaur Johal.

Meanwhile, the patients admitted at the rehab centre have been shifted to Amritsar’s Vidya Sagar Mental Hospital.

The health department that had ordered 100 mattresses, bed sheets and pillows from a private tent house to set up in the isolation ward of the rehab centre was put in a bizarre spot after the tent house denied it fearing mattresses and bed sheets could be rendered useless if those with virus symptoms use it.

“Mattresses and bed sheets cannot get infected from the patients. As they have refused to rent us the essentials, we have now told the district administration to arrange them. We have almost everything to set up the isolation ward,” Dr Johal added.

Training of rural medical officers held

Civil surgeon Dr Johal-led team on Friday conducted awareness camp for rural medical officers of the district where they were informed about handling suspected patients affected with the virus. The health department also issued advisory asking the officials to spread awareness at the grass-root level, so that people can directly contact health department when confronted with the symptoms rather than taking home remedies.

GNDU suspends classes till March 20

Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) suspended classes in all colleges under it till March 20. “The new dates for mid-semester examinations shall be communicated later. The teaching and non-teaching staff shall attend their respective offices and duties as usual,” said an advisory issued by the university. GNDU) also issued a fresh instruction to postpone its annual events, including global alumni meet and annual youth festival ‘Jashan.’ Meanwhile, the district administration has advised the school authorities to avoid gathering, including morning prayer assembly.