Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says Delhi ready to tackle coronavirus, puts more measures in place

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said three people have tested positive for coronavirus and one is suspected to be infected with the virus in the national capital.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced a slew of measures to tackle the spread of the deadly coronavirus and said the national capital is fully prepared to deal with the virus.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal addressed a press conference on the coronavirus cases in national capital and the measures taken by the government to tackle the outbreak, March 8, 2020. (Arvind Yadav / HT Photo)

The number of infected people in the country has now risen to 34. Although five people in Kerala were also reported to be infected on Sunday, yet the Union health ministry is yet to confirm these cases and is waiting for the report from NIV, Pune.

Out of those infected, 14 are Italian tourists who have been kept at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police’s (ITBP’s) quarantined facility in Chhawla in Delhi. Two other Italian tourists in the same group had tested positive for coronavirus in Jaipur.

“There are three cases of coronavirus in Delhi so far and we are alert. There is no need to panic,” Arvind Kejriwal said during a press conference.

Kejriwal said three people have tested positive for coronavirus and one is suspected to be infected with the virus in the national capital. All those people who had come in contact with these infected people are also being investigated, he added.

“The first patient came in contact with 105 people, the second with 168 people and the third came in contact with 64 people. All these people have been quarantined and their samples have been taken,” he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief also ordered that buses run by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), cluster buses, Metro and hospitals to be disinfected every day.

Kejriwal appealed the citizens Delhi to approach authorities if anybody from their neighbourhood has come back from a foreign trip in the past 14 days.

“I request everyone if you know any person who has just returned from abroad, then inform the Delhi government. Our team will contact them and they will be put on surveillance after some general investigation,” he said.

The chief minister said now 25 more hospitals will be able to test samples for coronavirus in the Capital, up from the two, which had the facility earlier.

He also said that 168 isolation beds are being set up at 25 hospitals in the city sate for coronavirus patients.

The Delhi chief minister also appealed to employers to let their workers who have been quarantined to go on a paid leave so that their livelihood is not affected.

Giving details about screenings at the airport, he said there are 40 doctors of the Delhi Government who are checking flyers

“ So far, thermal screening of more than 140,000 people has been done,” Kejriwal said.