Samples of 4 collected from quarantine facilities

Of the 159 Indians who were brought back from European countries on Monday night, to the SGT Medical College in Chandu Budhera, the district health team on Tuesday

Of the 159 Indians who were brought back from European countries on Monday night, to the SGT Medical College in Chandu Budhera, the district health team on Tuesday sent four samples for Covid-19 testing to the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

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A 300-bed quarantine facility has been set up at the medical college for Indians arriving from foreign countries. “After the physical examination of the flyers, we have sent four samples for Covid-19 testing,” said Dr Jaswant Singh Punia, district’s chief medical officer.

Confirming the development, a doctor, deployed by the college at the facility, said, “Two people had signs and symptoms of the novel coronavirus while the other two asked us to take their samples.”

According to health officials, the people — 54 women, four children and 101 men — were brought back from different European countries. “The medical college has deployed a team of six to seven doctors and eight to 10 paramedical staff, who are examining them,” a member of the rapid response team, who was present at the location on Monday night, said.

As reported by HT, six buses had arrived on Monday evening from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. Health officials said that some of the travellers refused to remain housed for the quarantine period of 14 days. “People who have arrived are scared and therefore, they are panicking. They are being counselled,” the doctor said.

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, on Monday, had visited a quarantine facility set up the government postgraduate college in Sector 9. The district health team has identified additional quarantine facilities in different parts of the city, with the capacity to hold 650 people — a 400-bed facility at the government college in Sector 9, a 100-bed centre at Teacher Bhawan hostel in Sector 11 and a 150-bed facility in Pataudi.

The Union ministry of health and family welfare directed the state to identify additional facilities within the vicinity of 30 airports across the country, where universal screening of passengers is being carried out. Currently, 14 Italian tourists are admitted to Medanta Hospital and 83 Indians from Italy are quarantined at an army camp in Manesar.