Hyderabad (Telangana): With one confirmed case, and two others testing positive for novel coronavirus in preliminary tests, the Telangana government has scaled up efforts to arrest the spread of the virus, undertaking a cleanliness drive across public transport systems.
Authorities have stepped up sanitisation efforts The Hyderabad Metro Rail staff was seen spraying disinfectant at all stations and even inside metro coaches. Metro stations, trains and touch surface areas, escalators and handrails were cleaned with soap and detergents.
"The staff of Hyderabad Metro Rail has started spraying disinfectant in all the stations and metro coaches to ensure that COVID-19 does not spread. The steps have been taken after a techie in the Hyderabad city tested positive at a state-run government hospital," MD Hyderabad Metro Rail, NVS Reddy said.
Bus stations were sanitised
Similar extensive cleaning operations were also undertaken at bus stations and inside state-run Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) buses.
The move comes after Telangana Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao had requested the Hyderabad Metro Rail and the state Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar to take up cleanliness measures inside Hyderabad Metro trains and TSRTC buses. The state government has also issued public advisories as part of an awareness campaign.
Read:20 suspected coronavirus cases reported, govt ready to meet any situation: Telangana Health Minister
Meanwhile, the Hyderabad Metro Rail also said that all employees have been made aware of preventive steps to be taken, including hand hygiene and reporting sickness.
One confirmed case in Telangana, two more test positive
Two days after Telangana reported first COVID-19 positive case, two persons were tested positive at Gandhi Hospital but the authorities sent their samples to NIV for confirmation. Officials said one has travel history to Italy while the second is the contact of first COVID-19 positive case.
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Director of Public Health and Family Welfare said 47 samples were tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday and out of them 45 samples were found negative. "Two samples are being sent to NIV, Pune for further testing. The report is expected tomorrow. They are being kept in isolation at Gandhi Hospital," he said.
The official said 45 persons who were negative were discharged and advised strict home isolation for 14 days.
Techie with virus had returned from Dubai
The 24-year-old techie, who was tested positive on Monday, is stable and in isolation at Gandhi Hospital. The man, hailing from Hyderabad and working for a Bengaluru-based IT firm, is suspected to have picked up virus in Dubai, where he came in contact with some company representatives from Hong Kong. After returning from Dubai, he spent two days in Bengaluru, meeting company employees and others.
After reaching Hyderabad by bus, he approached a private hospital with fever and flu-like symptoms. He continued his treatment as an outpatient for five days and was subsequently admitted there. As there was no improvement in his condition, he came to Gandhi Hospital on March 1. His samples were sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune and they tested positive for COVID-19.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)
