No need to panic over coronavirus, says govt

With two positive cases of the new coronavirus in the country, Maharashtra legislators on Monday expressed concerns over the outbreak and rumour-mongering over its

With two positive cases of the new coronavirus in the country, Maharashtra legislators on Monday expressed concerns over the outbreak and rumour-mongering over its transmission.

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State public health minister Rajesh Tope assured the legislators there was no need to panic. “There is no reason to be afraid of coronavirus. In Maharashtra, no one is affected with it. We have started screening passengers at vulnerable points such as airport. More than 61,939 passengers from 12 countries have been screened at airports alone,” the health minister said in the state Assembly. “The state has set up a control room in Pune to deal with any situation. People can dial 104 to get all details about the epidemic. We have also set up isolated wards in each district and our health workers are using N95 mask which is effective in protecting people from getting affected with coronavirus,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state animal husbandry department has filed a complaint with the cyber police against rumours related to the coronavirus. “The poultry industry is badly impacted with a rumour that consuming chicken may lead to coronavirus. The government is trying to check who started this rumour,” said animal husbandry minister Sunil Kedar, in the lower House.

The legislative Council will conduct a special sitting on Tuesday morning to discuss measures the state can take to prevent the outbreak and take stock of the preparations by the state.

Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, Congress legislators Praniti Shinde, Amin Patel, NCP legislator Rohit Pawar and other legislators raised concerns over the epidemic.

Patel claimed the screening of passengers at airports is not satisfactory and requested the health minister to visit the Mumbai airport, which Tope agreed to.

Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, chairman of the Council, said, “A special sitting of 30 minutes is scheduled for Tuesday morning to discuss Maharashtra’s preparedness.” He made the announcement after senior Congress legislator Sharad Ranpise moved a point of propriety to discuss the issue on Monday.