Tripura health department sounds alert on Coronavirus outbreak

Agartala: The Tripura health department has sounded alert across the state and areas adjoining Indo-Bangla international border after the detention of Novel Coronavirus in New Delhi and outbreak in the neighbouring nation China.

Speaking with reporters Tripura health secretary Dr Debashish Bose said the ministry of health has issued an advisory with instructions on how to combat the Coronavirus scare and they have received the same here on Tuesday.

“We have received an advisory from the health ministry and we have started taking all precautionary measures to screen people entering Tripura from adjoining Bangladesh through the Land Customs Station (LCS) and Akhaura International Check Post (ICP),” it said.

Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh from three sides and it shares about 856-km-long international border with Bangladesh.

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has also started working and measures have been taken at the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Agartala to combat the coronavirus. A desk for screening people with symptoms of the virus is also being set up by the AAI authority.

However, no such initiative has been taken by the health department at the Agartala railway station due to the shortage of manpower to man the identification mechanism, Bose said.

Also Read: Tripura’s eminent surgeon Dr Rathin Dutta passes away in Kolkata

The health department has also directed the Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) to arrange an isolation ward for handling any patient who might have been identified with the Coronavirus.

“No reports have been received so far in the state. But, we want to ensure 100 per cent screening is conducted in each case. Mass awareness camp has also begun to sensitize people about the virus and precautionary measures needed to combat the virus,” the official said.

He also said that if any patient is detected positive with the Coronavirus, we will shift them to the isolation ward in the medical college and samples will be collected by the microbiology department to ascertain further details.

A similar notice has been issued by other states in the northeastern region to take measures and remain prepared to combat the virus once detected in any patient.