No coronavirus in Maha, don't panic, but caution needed: CM

March 05, 2020 20:25

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said no case of coronavirus infection has been found in the state and there was no cause for panic, but caution was necessary for the next eight to ten days.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, he also said people should refrain from visiting crowded places.

"Extra precaution is needed to be taken during the next eight to ten days....people should celebrate the Holi festival in a restrained way," he said.

The medical staff at the airports will be increased for conducting thermal screening of all the passengers arriving from other countries, Thackeray said.

Thermal checking is being carried out at Nagpur and Pune airports in the state too, he said.

Mumbai municipal commissioner Pravin Pardeshi, also present at the press conference, said additional quarantine beds have been kept ready at private hospitals in the city.

Pardeshi also stated that people need not wear face masks, which the medical staff who are treating suspected coronavirus patients need.

Some 18,000 passengers arrive at the international airport in Mumbai every day, the commissioner said.

So far about 70,000 passengers have undergone thermal checking and 90 of them showed symptoms of the disease. But 83 of these patients eventually tested negative for the virus while the lab reports of seven people were awaited, Pardeshi added.

Earlier, making a statement in the Legislative Assembly, chief minister Thackeray said his government was taking all necessary steps for the prevention of the "coronavirus epidemic".

"I want to tell people that the next eight days are crucial and we have to remain cautious," he told the House.

"We need to tackle the crisis effectively without getting scared and panicky," he said. "If we get scared, we may end up committing avoidable mistakes," he added. -- PTI

Image: A thermal screening device checks passengers arriving at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in view of novel coronavirus outbreak in Guwahati. Photograph: PTI Photo

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