3 more coronavirus cases in city, Thane, Pune; state count now 14

March 13, 2020

Three more people tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Mumbai, Pune and Thane on Thursday, taking the number of cases in Maharashtra to 14. A 74-year-old man, who recently returned to Mumbai from Dubai, is in critical condition at a private hospital, while a 35-year-old man from Thane has been quarantined at Kasturba Hospital. He had travelled to France recently, officials said. In Pune, the person who tested positive for the virus had visited the United States (US), said district collector Naval Kishore Ram.

The state government, too, announced a series of measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray asked district administrations to cancel all government programmes and not allow gatherings for political and religious events. The state plans to also ask tour operators to not accept new bookings. The government asked municipal commissioners of Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur to ensure all travellers coming from seven most-affected countries undergo compulsory quarantine. The budget session of Maharashtra legislature, too, will end on Saturday as all parties agreed to curtail the session so that the administration can devote more time to handle the situation.

Meanwhile, as cases of the virus in Mumbai touched three, several private schools announced that they will remain shut from Friday.

Health minister Rajesh Tope said the government is considering invoking the Maharashtra Epidemic Act, 1989, which will be used in the interest of society if a person is not cooperating.

“For instance, if a person is not ready to be admitted to the hospital, then he can be compulsory admitted under provisions of the act,” he said.

The health minister said the state government has constituted a committee headed by the chief secretary for better co-ordination among departments such as urban development, rural development, revenue, medical education, food and drugs administration and tourism. Secretaries of all the departments will be member of the committee.

On the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament, Tope said, “As health minister, I am of the view that the IPL tournament should not be allowed, only to avoid large gatherings. However, if BCCI comes up with a proposal of ticketless matches, then the state government will consider it. Matches without audience should not be a problem.”

Of the state’s 14 confirmed cases, nine are from Pune, three from Mumbai and one each from Thane and Nagpur.

According to state health officials, the patient who returned to Mumbai on March 8 after his visit to Dubai was admitted to a private hospital after he started showing symptoms of coronavirus. Later, he tested positive and his condition deteriorated further, so he has been kept at the private hospital.

“He was undergoing treatment at the hospital, but later, the doctors got suspicious and sent the sample to Kasturba Hospital for analysis. This is prima facie the information we have got,” said Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner (health), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

As per the information provided by the private hospital, the patient was suffering from a cardiac ailment and was a regular patient at the hospital, which is why they admitted him. Although he is not on ventilator, he is critical.

The patient from Thane was admitted to Kasturba Gandhi Hospital on Thursday. He was on telephonic observation after he returned from France. Later, when he started showing symptoms of coronavirus, he was shifted to the isolation ward.

The civic body is getting in touch with all relatives and friends of these infected patients for checking.

About the Thane patient, Sandeep Malvi, PRO, Thane Municipal Corporation, said, “We shall be immediately shifting his primary contacts, wife and daughter to Kasturba for quarantine and testing. We have also begun conducting surveillance and tracing his and the family’s contacts. We shall start implementing measures and take action accordingly,”

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Source : www.hindustantimes.com