All international passengers to be screened at airports: K Sudhakar

Bengaluru: All international passengers arriving at the city airport will be screened for coronavirus, from now on, Karnataka Medical education minister Dr K Sudhakar said here on Wednesday.

“Till now we were screening international passengers coming from Covid-19 affected nations, but from today onwards all passengers will be screened,” he told the legislative Council on Wednesday.

The decision comes after a techie, who tested positive for the coronavirus in Hyderabad, had travelled from the city.

Health Minister B Srirumulu had earlier in the day said the apartment where the software engineer was staying has been sanitised.

Later speaking to reporters, Sudhakar said the techie’s room mate was asymptomatic and he had tested negative.

“There were 25 people working with the techie, of whom one developed a symptom, adding that all of them were quarantined.

An Iranian national, who had symptoms of Covid-19 had tested negative, the minister added.

He said five people with suspected symptoms of Covid-19 have so far been admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Disease (RJICD).

The government, he said, had ordered supply of masks and medicines for the next six months to ensure there was no shortage.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa told reporters later that there was not a single coronavirus case in the state and hence there was no need for the people to worry

A government release said Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar held a high-level meeting, where he discussed issues related to establishing quarantine facilities,extending medical facilities in government, private and defence hospitals, connecting officers for inter-departmental coordination for containment activities, taking military and paramilitary support and help from medical associations and private hospitals.

It said the Border Security Force at Yelahanka near Bengaluru, is ready with three barracks of 100 beds each, to extend quarantine facilities for 300 members, in case of emergency on the directions of the union government.

The Department of Health and Family Welfare has already chalked out a plan todeploy the required trained doctors 24×7 and the State Drug Controller has been asked to provide necessary facial masks, hand gloves and personal protection equipments, besides, required medicines, the statement read.

The Chief Secretary had a video conferencewith Deputy Commissioners and District Magistrates and asked them to earmark isolation wardsin all hospitalsand monitor places of mass gatherings like airports, bus stations, ports, railway stations, malls and multiplexes, which are exposed to risk and where there is chance of local transmission ofthis ‘imported virus’ when people from virus-affected countries visit such places.

He asked them to prepare a Cluster Containment Plan to act swiftly at short notice,to keep District Surveillance Plan and District Disaster Teams ready to face last minute challenges.

He directed airport authorities to take a declaration from passengers about their visits abroad, sojourn and people who came in contact with them to help take preventive measures.

Vijay Bhaskar also directed officers to ensure ventilators in good condition in all government Hospitals and pay attention to scientific disposal of biomedical waste

Meanwhile, a parent appealed to people not to panic about the coronavirus in the techie’s apartment, where his son too resides.
“My son is from the same apartment.To update everyone, there is absolutely nothing wrong here. It was more of panic on social media that created this,” he said in a message.

He said the man who is in Telengana and tested positive stayed in this building on February 21. “His roommate was taken to hospital and has tested negative,” he said.

It is been two weeks since the incident. The virus can survive only for 48 hours under optimal conditions, he noted.

“Everyone in this building is safe. Please educate yourself. Refrain from spreading panic and misinformation,” he added.