Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 18

A day after a soldier of the Indian Army tested positive after returning from leave, the Army has issued instructions to allow leave only under exceptional circumstances, to prevent all functions and modify morning physical training while maintaining social distance.

The Military Operations Directorate has issued directions saying leave will be granted only on essential and compassionate grounds till situation improves. All troops returning from leave, especially from Covid hotspots and have been likely contact with persons having international travel history, should be screened and quarantined on arrival.

A soldier has been isolated at a hospital in Leh in the UT of Ladakh. His father had tested positive earlier. His sister, wife and children have also been quarantined. The family hails from Chuchot village in Leh district of Ladakh.

He was on casual leave from February 25 to March 1. During his leave period, the soldier stayed with his family as his father, who returned from a pilgrimage in Iran, had been quarantined on February 29.

The father tested positive for Covid-19 on March 6 and he was isolated at Sonam Norbu Memorial Hospital, Leh.

The soldier was also quarantined on March 7 and detected to be positive on March 16. He has been isolated. Instructions from the Military Operations says training activities can be postponed or cancelled. All collective training activities scheduled at units and brigades may be postponed. Physical training and games may be carried out while keeping in mind the minimum distance of 1 metre between individuals.

All courses due to start from March 23 or afterwards are hereby postponed. Non-essential conferences and seminars involving moving personnel may be cancelled or postponed. Entry is to be regulated to essential stores and CSD.

Islamabad, March 19

Pakistan announced on Thursday to close down Wagah border with India for two weeks as the number of coronavirus cases in the country rose to 341.

The interior ministry through a notification said that it closed the key border point with India “for an initial period of two weeks (14 days) with immediate effect”.

It said the measure was taken to “prevent the spread of COVID-19, in the best interest of both countries”.

Pakistan’s western border with Iran and Afghanistan had already been closed to curb the spread of the deadly virus which had infected people in more than 150 countries.

Meanwhile, more coronavirus cases were reported in Pakistan as the number of patients in Balochistan province rose to 45 and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 34.

Another 211 patients were in worst-hit Sindh, 33 in Punjab, 15 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 2 in Islamabad and 1 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

So far two people have died due to the novel coronavirus in Pakistan.

Pakistan was taking measures to stop the spread of the infection and lately religious affairs minister Noor ul Haq Qadri said that training programs for Haj pilgrims were suspended as part of the preventive measure.

In Karachi, which is one of worst-hit areas, Christian leaders suspended Church services.

The Foreign Office announced to hold indirect press conference as a precautionary measure to control the spread of coronavirus.

Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said that reporters can submit questions through email and answers will be published on the ministry’s website. —PTI

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 19

The UT administration has partially closed OPDs in all government hospitals with immediate effect.

Gynae, paediatrics, emergency, trauma and medicine OPDs are open and the rest are closed.

The PGI has restricted the timing of registration for OPD patients.

Addressing a press conference after the tricity’s first confirmed Covid 19 case, UT Adviser Manoj Kumar Parida here on Thursday said, “All scheduled surgeries have been postponed except gynae, paedatrics and trauma.”

On confirmed case

Four immediate contacts have been traced of the confirmed patient. These are her father, mother, driver and maid. The mother has been sent to isolation ward and her sample has been sent for testing. Others are under surveillance.

Contact tracing has been initiated. All those who came in her contact are being traced.

There is no lockdown as of now.

The coronavirus positive case is stable now.

 Quarantine facility

Park View, Panchayat Bhawan, Infosys serai and the PGI have been declared as quarantine facilities in case the number rises.

On teachers

Teachers are to be given training for managing coronavirus patients. A decision on their attending schools will be taken later on Thursday.

On transport

No banning of inter-state CTU buses as of now.

Instructions given for keeping adequate distancing between passengers. Sanitisation of buses going on.

On markets

Sanitisation of all markets has been started.  No markets to be closed as of now. Apni mandis will continue to operate.  There will be no retail selling in grain market, Sector 26.

On sanitisers and masks

If required, pricing of sanitisers and masks will be fixed.  Around 50 raids have been conducted so far.

Sports complex shut

All sports complexes, private and public, have been shut.

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, March 19

In the view of the coronavirus threat, the challaning branch of Chandigarh Traffic Police has suspended its operations of challaning motor vehicles for various violations.

People who have to pay fine against challans issued to them are being given an extended period of at least two months from the date of challan, the traffic police said in a release.

It will, however, continue to entertain cases of release of impounded vehicles.

Facility for online payment of postal challan will be provided soon, it added.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 18

Not a single suspected coronavirus patient is either missing or absconding in Punjab, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu clarified on Wednesday. He categorically rejected media reports to the contrary as “irresponsible and incorrect”.

The 167 missing persons referred to by Ludhiana civil surgeon were not Covid suspected cases but were merely people with foreign travel history who could not be traced due to incomplete contact details shared by the Central Government, said Sidhu, amid reports suggesting that they were suspected cases who had absconded or gone missing.

All these persons had already been screened at the airports in Delhi, said the minister, adding that since the outbreak, the Centre had been sharing reports of passengers with international travel with all states, including Punjab. “While those found symptomatic are admitted in hospital and kept in isolation, as per protocol, the lists of asymptomatic passengers are shared with the state concerned,” he said, adding that as a matter of precaution, the Punjab Government contacted these passengers to re-verify their history and medical condition.

In this case, the contact details of 335 passengers shared by the Centre were incomplete and lists of these passengers were shared with the district administration and the Centre was also duly informed, Sidhu disclosed.

Kolkata, March 18

A BJP activist has been arrested for organising a cow urine consumption event here, claiming that it will protect people from coronavirus or cure those already infected, leading to a civic volunteer falling ill after drinking it, police said on Wednesday.

He was arrested late Tuesday night following a complaint filed by the victim with the police, they said.

According to police officials, 40-year-old Narayan Chatterjee, a local party worker of Jorasakho area in North Kolkata, had on Monday organised a cow-worship programme at a cowshed and distributed cow urine.

He vouched for its “miraculous” properties while offering gaumutra to others.

A civic volunteer complained against him after he fell sick after consuming the same.

“How can just police arrest him without any reason. This is completely undemocratic,” state BJP General Secretary Sayantan Basu said. West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh has said there is no harm in drinking cow urine. — PTI

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Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, March 18

Amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the Kerala Police have shared a 1:04-second clip highlighting the importance of washing hands.

The police department has come up with a hand-washing themed dancing showing how people should wash their hands.

The clip has now gone viral on social media.

The video features six policemen wearing face masks while showing ways to wash hands and getting rid of the germs.

Promoting ‘Break the chain’ campaign, the video ends with the cops giving the views a thumbs-up after the dance.

Several international health organisations such as the World Health Organisation and UNICEF have advised people to regularly wash their hands to prevent contracting the disease.