Surveillance along Kerala border intensified, says govt

State Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar on Tuesday said that 53 people hailing from Tamil Nadu who have been flown back from China are placed under isolation and added that their health condition is stable. We are also screening people at the Kerala border, the Minister added.

Mentioning the surveillance to have intensified in the districts bordering Kerala, including Coimbatore, Theni and Tirunelveli, the Health Minister said that the number of beds in the isolation ward at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in the city was being doubled. We have all the facilities available for screening and monitoring the health of the suspected cases, he added.

Further, as per the advisory issued, aerobridge and exclusive dedicated screening teams have been set up in place for those passengers coming from China, the Health Minister said. The aerobridge will be used at the dedicated gate of the city international airport to ensure effective prevention, the Union Health ministry had said on Tuesday.

The 108 GVK EMRI call centre is also coordinating to keep a regular check on the health condition of those people who are on house quarantine, Minister Vijaya Baskar said.

Besides, senior officials at the State Health department are also held a meeting with the stakeholders, including airport healthcare officials, immigration officials, the Directorate of Medical Services and the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine to review the preventive measures in place in Tamil Nadu. Health Department officials have also urged the public not to panic and to not believe the rumours that are spreading around the coronavirus.