PUNE: State health officials have started screening and tracking travellers arriving from Iran and Italy too in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) threat.
Till recently, travellers arriving from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia were being screened at the airports for the infection.
The decision follows the latest diktat of the Union health ministry.
"Travellers residing in Maharashtra and coming from Iran and Italy are also being screened at the Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and later tracked for 14 days to rule out novel coronavirus infection. They will also be quarantined and tested in case of any symptoms. Field surveillance is also actively going on across the state in search of people coming from the affected countries," state surveillance officer Pradip Awate said.
A total of 53,981 passengers returning from China and other affected countries have been screened at CSMIA since January 18. Of them, 304 were put under 14-day surveillance and 91 were quarantined in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, among other parts of the state, after they complained of flu-like symptoms.
All the 91 travellers, who complained of minor illness after visiting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) affected countries, tested negative for the contagion in Maharashtra. These travellers were quarantined and tested for the infection at the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) over the last five weeks.
A total 225 of the 304 other travellers, who also visited these countries but didn't develop any symptoms, have completed the mandatory 14-day follow-up by staying quarantined at their respective homes. The remaining travellers are being followed up on regular basis, a state health official said.
When it comes to Pune, 36 travellers were quarantined at the civic-run Naidu hospital over the last five weeks after they complained of minor illness. "All of them have tested negative for the virus and have been discharged," Ramchandra Hankare, the Pune Municipal Corporation's health department chief, said.
Apart from Mumbai, Pune and Thane travellers are also being monitored in Nanded, Buldhana, Nagpur, Wardha, Sangli, Ahmednagar, Amaravati, Palghar, Jalgaon, Chandrapur and Satara districts.
Till recently, travellers arriving from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia were being screened at the airports for the infection.
The decision follows the latest diktat of the Union health ministry.
"Travellers residing in Maharashtra and coming from Iran and Italy are also being screened at the Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and later tracked for 14 days to rule out novel coronavirus infection. They will also be quarantined and tested in case of any symptoms. Field surveillance is also actively going on across the state in search of people coming from the affected countries," state surveillance officer Pradip Awate said.
A total of 53,981 passengers returning from China and other affected countries have been screened at CSMIA since January 18. Of them, 304 were put under 14-day surveillance and 91 were quarantined in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, among other parts of the state, after they complained of flu-like symptoms.
All the 91 travellers, who complained of minor illness after visiting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) affected countries, tested negative for the contagion in Maharashtra. These travellers were quarantined and tested for the infection at the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) over the last five weeks.
A total 225 of the 304 other travellers, who also visited these countries but didn't develop any symptoms, have completed the mandatory 14-day follow-up by staying quarantined at their respective homes. The remaining travellers are being followed up on regular basis, a state health official said.
When it comes to Pune, 36 travellers were quarantined at the civic-run Naidu hospital over the last five weeks after they complained of minor illness. "All of them have tested negative for the virus and have been discharged," Ramchandra Hankare, the Pune Municipal Corporation's health department chief, said.
Apart from Mumbai, Pune and Thane travellers are also being monitored in Nanded, Buldhana, Nagpur, Wardha, Sangli, Ahmednagar, Amaravati, Palghar, Jalgaon, Chandrapur and Satara districts.
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