A day after the first case of coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh was confirmed in Nellore on Wednesday, movies theatres and schools in the town were shut down as a precautionary measure. While schools in the district will be shut at least till March 18, district administration has also instructed theatres in the city to remain closed till further notice, Times of India reported.
A student who had recently returned from Italy to Nellore had tested positive for COVID-19. Doctors have said that the patient’s condition is stable, and those who had come into contact with him have also been placed under isolation, and their samples sent for COVID-19 testing.
Health authorities in the state rolled out a cluster containment plan covering 20,000 households in Nellore town, as per the protocol of the Ministry of Health, Government of India. K S Jawahar Reddy, Special Chief Secretary, Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh said that active surveillance of about 20,000 households was done, and 11 persons who had returned from various countries were identified in this cluster and kept under home isolation for the next 14 days.
"If they show any symptoms we may have to shift them to hospitals and take samples. No other persons showed any symptoms," he said.
He said the family members of the man who was tested positive, their domestic help and her family members were also under observation. None of them showed any symptoms, he said.
The man who tested positive for COVID-19 had come back from Italy on March 6 and showed some symptoms on March 9. He was isolated, and both his initial and confirmatory tests were positive.
"As part of precautionary measures, the state government has identified two quarantine facilities at Tirupati and Visakhapatnam, which can accommodate 500 and 200 people. All foreign returnees are advised home isolation for 14 days and to contact a helpline for medical advice prior to visiting a hospital," Jawahar Reddy said.
The state government also decided to implement the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, as a precautionary measure to curb the possible spread of the novel coronavirus.
Two laboratories for testing Covid-19 cases were established in Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati, and another in Vijayawada, Jawahar Reddy said.
Meanwhile, the TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam) has set up thermal screening at various entry points to the temple town, apart from COVID-19 awareness and counselling camps. “If any symptoms are identified, the pilgrim will be stopped from entering Tirumala and diverted to isolation wards at Ruia hospital for medication,” TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal said. TTD has also asked devotees who have recently returned from other countries to not visit Tirumala within 28 days of their arrival, and has asked devotees to postpone visits if suffering from COVID-19 symptoms.
Authorities have also prepared a list of people who returned from various countries, including countries Italy and Iran with a high number of COVID-19 cases. They have created WhatsApp groups for these persons at the district level, giving them instruction on home isolation. The field-level team is observing their health condition. Rapid response teams were also formed along with taskforce teams.
People have been advised not to panic and take necessary precautions by maintaining hygiene. Those who are experiencing symptoms like cough, fever, breathlessness have been advised to contact 104 helpline or call centre 0866-2410978.
IANS and PTI inputs