Puri: The district administration has initiated process to arrange additional beds at hospitals and set up isolation centres at panchayats to meet any eventuality amid the coronavirus scare.
The administration has set up isolation centres at the district headquarters hospital (DHH), community health centres (CHCs) and gram panchayats to provide quarantine facilities to people suspected to have contracted the deadly virus.
“Most of the isolation centres in panchayats have been set up at school buildings. All these centres have at least five beds each. Steps are being taken to maintain utmost hygiene at the isolation centres,” said an official of the district administration.
Collector Balwant Singh said they have introduced several measures to treat suspected coronavirus patients. “Isolation wards have been set up at the DHH and all CHCs. A mock drill has been conducted at the infectious disease hospital (IDH) to treat a person suspected for coronavirus,” Singh added.
According to Singh, the administration has started work to set up a 250-bed isolation ward at the Puri Medical College building. This apart, steps are being taken to open a 50-bed isolation centre at Gopabandhu Ayurveda College in Puri city, he said.
“We are arranging adequate ventilators, oxygen cylinders, doctors and health staff to meet the situation,” Singh added.
According to sources in the district administration, a total of 111 native people of Puri district have returned homes from abroad in last few days. “At least 24 such people have completed the 15-day quarantine period while the remaining people are under home isolation. All these people are under strict observation,” said a source in the district administration.
It is learnt that around 4,000 native people of Puri district have also returned home from other states in last few days. The administration is coordinating with panchayat-level officials to ensure that all these people remain in home isolation for at least 14 days, sources said.