National News
The number of patients who have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus in Pune is eight
Three fresh cases tested positive for the Covid-19 virus in Pune, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray confirmed.
Currently, the number of patients who have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus in Pune is eight.Wednesday’s three positive cases are co-passengers of the couple who tested positive on Monday night, the first positive cases to be reported in the state.
The couple from Pune travelled with 40 other persons from across Maharashtra on a flight from Dubai on March 1.Stating that there are 10 positive cases in the state CM Thackeray confirmed that Mumbai reported its first two positive cases on Wednesday.Pune district collector Naval Kishore Ram said, “These three fresh cases have tested positive and were fellow travellers along with the couple. Currently, there are eight positive corona cases in the city, which include the couple who travelled to Dubai, their daughter, the driver who drove them from the Mumbai airport to Pune, and three fellow travellers.”
He further said that test results for 33 others in Pune are awaited.“These include fellow travellers who came in close contact with the couple and a few others. All the samples have been sent to NIV, Pune,” he said.
On Wednesday, CM Thackeray and deputy CM Ajit Pawar took a review of the situation in the city via video conference with the district collector, divisional commissioner and the commissioners of the Pune municipal corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri Chincwad municipal corporation (PCMC).
Pune’s divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar said that the state has quarantined 43 people who had been in close contact with the couple.“Four of the five positive cases showed no symptoms of being affected,” Mhaisekar said, adding that as per the central government guidelines samples of passengers returning from abroad need to be collected only if the person(s) displays symptoms of being infected with the virus.
State health minister Rajesh Tope tweeted on Wednesday that a massive education and communication campaign would be conducted across the state against misinformation about coronavirus.No outbreak yet, so schools stay open.Addressing the media in Mumbai, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said that all the positive cases, eight in Pune and two in Mumbai, are stable.
He said, “All the positive cases which have been identified were in close contact with the couple or had travelled out of the country.
As of now there is no outbreak and hence, no decision to shut schools or colleges has been taken. We would advise people to avoid crowded places and avoid handshakes.”Pune’s divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar said that substandard hand sanitisers are being sold in the market after a drastic surge in demand. “Action will be taken against such chemists and vendors. It is also important to note that washing hands for at least 20 seconds will work to contain the spread of the virus,” he reiterated.
