Covid-19 scare: 135 people put in home isolation in Mizoram, two Nigerians in Assam

Aizawl, March 15 (PTI): A total of 135 people with travel history to coronavirus-hit countries have been put in home isolation in Mizoram, a senior health official said on Sunday.

Most of them were undergoing self-quarantine and did not show symptoms of the deadly virus, state health principal director Dr F Lallianhlira said.

The self-quarantined people have travel history to coronavirus-hit countries such as Saudi Arabia, Italy, Iran and France and have been quarantined as a precautionary measure, he said.

"Though Mizoram has not yet reported any positive case of novel coronavirus, we have to remain alert. The health department is closely monitoring them," he said.

One person has been quarantined at a hospital in Thenzawl near Aizawl, he said.

The state government is screening commuters along the Mizoram-Assam border for COVID-19, an official said.

About 1,300-1,400 people are being screened every day at three counters in Vairengte near the Assam border, he said.

The government is also planning to deploy more medical teams and the matter would be discussed at a meeting on Monday.

Meanwhile, responding to an appeal made by Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC), all churches held mass prayer programmes since Saturday night seeking divine intervention to contain the pandemic, sources said.

A church leader told PTI that special prayer programmes were held by some churches on Saturday night while others also held similar programmes on Sunday.

Church members were also instructed to avoid spreading fake news on novel coronavirus and refrain from hoarding essential commodities and hike commodity prices.

On Thursday, the MKHC had appealed to all churches across the state to hold mass prayer.

Meanwhile, two Nigerians, who entered the country from Bangladesh, have been admitted to an isolation ward of a hospital here for coronavirus-related tests, police said on Sunday.

During a routine check, the two Guwahati-bound foreigners were taken into custody by police personnel of the Churaibari outpost near Assam-Tripura border and sent to Karimganj Civil Hospital for necessary tests, a senior officer said.

They had entered India from the neighbouring country on Saturday, Churaibari outpost in-charge Mintu Seal said.

The Nigerians have been admitted in the isolation ward and will remain there till the doctors give a clearance, the police officer said.

Assam shuts schools, colleges, cinemas till March 29

The Assam government on Sunday ordered closure of all educational institutions, cinema halls, gymnasiums and swimming pools with immediate effect till March 29 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

All exams, except board examinations, have been cancelled till the specified date, Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said at a press conference in Guwahati.

"Even though no positive case of coronavirus has been detected in the state so far, we are taking all precautionary measures," Krishna said. "The order will cover all schools, colleges, universities, gyms, swimming pools and movie halls across the state. We have asked them to close down till March 29."

"All programmes scheduled at government auditoriums have also been cancelled. We hope those owned by private firms will also follow," he said.

All the deputy commissioners have been asked to discourage any public gathering in their districts. The officials and municipal authorities have been asked to keep the market places clean and sanitised on a regular basis to prevent the spread of the disease, according to the chief secretary.

Krishna said the Northeast Frontier Railway had been asked to take necessary precautions at its facilities, including stations.

"The chief minister is reviewing the situation regularly and we have decided to issue a daily bulletin on the coronavirus scenario in the state," he said, adding that the state government was fully equipped to handle any crisis arising out of the pandemic.

Quarantine facilities for over 800 people and isolation centres for over 100 people have been prepared at different locations in the state. Two-bedded isolation wards are established in all district civil hospitals for the same, Krishna said.

"We have also kept ICU facilities ready with more than 50 beds in medical colleges. Private hospitals have assured us of 50 beds in such unit," he added.

Samir Sinha, the principal secretary of the health and family welfare department, said the state currently had two blood-sample testing facilities for Covid-19 in Guwahati and Dibrugarh, while the third one would be active in Jorhat from Monday.

"Six medical colleges and 25 district hospitals are equipped to handle any situation. There is no need to panic," Sinha said. "Only the people need to follow the basic precautionary measures like social distancing and reporting to doctor if one is suffering from cough and fever."

M Angamuthu, the commissioner and secretary of the tourism department, said the business was down by 30-40 per cent in the past month as tourists, both international and domestic, had cancelled their trips amid the outbreak of the deadly disease.

In a presentation, the health and family welfare department showed that 1,075 passengers had been screened at six airports in the state so far.

A total of 253 travellers from Covid-19 affected countries were quarantined. Eleven blood samples were collected and 10 of them have tested negative and the report of one is awaited.

Till date, over 10,600 people have been screened and 599 people, who came in contact with positive cases, were kept under home surveillance though they did not show any symptoms.

Gauhati HC to hear only urgent matters amid Covid-19 threat

The Gauhati High Court said on Sunday that it would hear only urgent matters and adjourned all other cases indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a notification, the high court said the decision came in the backdrop of the steps being taken by the central and state governments to contain the spread of the deadly Covid-19.

The functioning of the courts in the principal seat of the high court, as well as its outlying benches in Kohima, Aizawl and Itanagar will be restricted to urgent matters only, till further orders, the notification by the registrar general of the court said. "The other cases shall stand adjourned."

Earlier in the day, the Assam government ordered closure of all educational institutions, cinema halls, gymnasiums and swimming pools with immediate effect till March 29.

According to Union Health Ministry, the number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 107 on Sunday, with Maharashtra reporting the highest, followed by Kerala. The cases include two persons who died in Karnataka and Delhi.

Medical stores in Manipur warned against hiking prices of masks, sanitisers

The Manipur government has warned all licensed pharmacies and drug stores of stringent action for hoarding and jacking up prices of masks and hand sanitisers, amid growing demand for the items in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

A notification issued by the Directorate of Health Services has also asked the medical shops to ensure steady supply of essential items to people.

Prices of masks and hand sanitisers have shot up over the past one month, with several stores charging more than double the price for the two items, according to locals.

A similar notice issued by State Drugs Controller and Licensing Authority has also cautioned the medical stores against "violation of the price norms" and said that any aberration will be strictly dealt with.