JAIPUR: Three people suspected to have symptoms of coronavirus have been admitted to Jaipur’s SMS Government Hospital, an official confirmed on Sunday. “They were admitted to the hospital on Saturday. Their blood samples have been collected and the report is expected to come in a day or two,” Dr D S Meena, Superintendent of SMS hospital said. He added that the suspected patients have been kept in isolation.
Meanwhile, arrangements have been made in ESIC Medical College of Alwar for keeping nearly 300 Indians airlifted from Wuhan city of China where the deadly virus outbreak began. The batch of passengers are likely to reach Alwar on Sunday evening for quarantine. Ravi Sharma, a state health department official coordinating with the Centre, said 300 beds have been prepared in two hostels and adequate staff has been deployed.
Deputy CMHO, Alwar, Dr Chhabil Kumar said the airlifted Indians will be quarantined and kept under observation for 28 days. “They are healthy passengers. If anyone is found to have symptoms of the virus, they will be shifted to an isolation ward in the district hospital,” he said. The passengers will be kept under observation and will be allowed to go in case no symptom is found, he added.
However, opposition has started building up to the plan for bringing Indians from Wuhan which saw the spread of the coronavirus in China, to the ESIC Medical College in Alwar. Nearby villagers gathered in front of the Medical College building on Saturday evening. Villagers said that the virus that spread in China is so dangerous and it would be more appropriate to take them to metro cities where there are better pre-treatment and living arrangements. Instead, bringing them to Alwar is not right. If someone tests positive for the virus, there will be a fear of spreading as most of the nearby people are poor and rural population. Hundreds of people from all around, including Desula, Gundpur, Jhareda, Khol villages had reached here to protest.
Earlier on Saturday, the Labour Minister of Rajasthan, Tika Ram Julie had also strongly opposed the Central government’s plan to bring in Coronavirus affected/suspected Indian citizens from China to the ESIC Hospital in Alwar. The Labor Minister, who hails from Alwar district himself, openly expressed his opposition to the Centre’s plan: ‘‘It’s very unfair to bring citizens who might be infected by a disease which has been declared an epidemic by the World Health Organization to Alwar.
The Labor Minister further said that the Central Government’s decision could even lead to the spread of the deadly new coronavirus in Alwar. Opposing the decision to bring the affected and suspicious people to the Alwar hospital Tika Ram Julie said that he will take up this issue at a high level in the governmental hierarchy.