Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has said that over 700 persons were suspected to be having symptoms of COVID-19 in Telangana and 21 others had tested positive for coronavirus infection.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Mr. Rao said the spread of coronavirus in the State was solely by foreign returnees. Over 20,000 people had arrived at Hyderabad airport or elsewhere in the country and travelled to different destinations in Telangana since March 1. About 1,500 persons landed at Hyderabad airport on Friday but it was not possible to track down people coming into the State by other routes.
The surveillance teams formed by State government had traced 11,000 persons and were under the care of State health department for 14 days. Of them, about 700 plus were suspected to be having symptoms and 21 persons who tested positive were all foreign returnees.
As many as 5,274 surveillance teams were formed to track down suspected cases. A close watch was maintained on people coming from abroad, he said and appealed to them to volunteer to furnish their travel history to local authorities. They will not be locked up in hospitals but teams will visit them every day in the morning and evening to check up their status.
There was no way they could escape the widespread network of surveillance teams as established by one person who was nabbed at Alair and another at Kazipet while trying to give a slip to officials.
Mr. Rao assured that the government will bear the entire expenditure of their treatment, food and other facilities if people with cough, cold, respiratory problems and fever reported to the teams. More than 1,000 beds were kept ready to provide them isolation facility. As many as 63,000 people were deployed by government to fight the disease. There were 52 check posts on inter-State borders and 78 joint teams of various departments.
A five member expert team will work under the supervision of Health Minister, Chief Minister’s Office, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to study national and international developments on the virus.
Assuring that the government will do everything humanly possible to contain the disease, Mr. Rao said it was prepared on all fronts unmindful of the expenditure. It procured 500 more ventilators for patients besides a large number of suits, masks and personal protective equipment.
